Evolutionary Divergence
by swsf09
Summary: Discontinued. Rewriting the story under the name Collapsing Empires. Full explanation in chapter 8.
1. The Ancients

**Hi, I'm new to FanFiction and this is just an idea that I decided to put online. A lot of Sci-Fi arguments have gone around. Most are about which Sci-Fi would win in a fight. I enjoy these conversations, but most simply boil down to nonsense. It is extremely hard to judge how each universe would fare since none of these universes are supposed to interact with each other. I accept criticism, but please include valid reasons as to why somethings should be changed. Do not just say "because Reapers/Master Chief is awesome!" While there is little doubt that MC and Reapers are awesome, valid reasons would be appreciated. It makes my life easier and the story more enjoyable for you. I would like to say that I do not own any of these franchises. This includes Halo, Mass Effect, Star Wars, Warhammer 40K, Alien vs Predator, Sins of a Solar Empire, Fallout, or any others that I may include in the future. Enjoy.  
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**Approximately 2 billion B.C.E.** - An advanced race only known as the Leviathans create a galactic wide empire in the Milky Way that spans more than a million worlds and contains thousands of species. Each race was subservient to these Leviathans and the Leviathans remained unchallenged. They built a large artifact known as the Citadel so that all races across the galaxy could listen to their voice. To connect their large empire, they built large stations known as mass relays. Each of these mass relays was powered by a newly discovered element, now known as Element Zero. These Leviathans focused their empire on preserving order. Any change, especially to the status quo of power, was looked down upon and then crushed. Their style of rule could best be described as stagnant order. After the construction of the mass relays, no attempt was made to advance society or technology.

**Approximately 1.7 billion B.C.E.** - A challenge to authority was made by an unknown race. This race developed Artificial Intelligence in an attempt to shift the balance of power. The early years of the rebellion went well for the would-be revolutionaries. However, their quest for more ruthless AIs proved to be their downfall. Eventually, the AIs went rampant and turned on their creators before destroying all life that existed on the planet. Horrified at the destruction, the Leviathans summoned the majority of their fleets to destroy the AIs. The ensuing war lasted for several million years and hundreds of sentient races became extinct.

**Approximately 1.5 billion B.C.E.** - The AI war came to an end with the destruction of the last mainframe and the detonation of the core of the rebellious planet. The Leviathans lost billions in the war and many Mass Relays were destroyed. Fearing another war should any race decide to move along the same path, the Leviathans commissioned a supercomputer program to try and solve the issue between organic and synthetic life. This program, known only as the Catalyst, was designed only for logic. However, the Catalyst eventually concluded that no logical solution was correct. Unknown to the Leviathans, the Catalyst gained sentience in an attempt to find a solution outside the restrictive bounds of its programming.

**Approximately 1.45 billion B.C.E.** - The Catalyst eventually found the solution that preserved organic life in the face of synthetic uprising. The Leviathans gathered at the Citadel to hear the conclusion of the destructive problem. That is when the Catalyst revealed its true intentions. Capturing most of the Leviathans inside the Citadel, the program revealed its sentience to the galaxy. The Catalyst's solution was to harvest all the life in the galaxy to form a new synthetic life, large monstrosities that physically mirrored the Leviathans. While harvesting all advanced sentient life, the harvest would skip over any primitive races deemed innocent of any technological breakthroughs. They would continue doing this action every time and advanced civilization had the capacity to create artificial intelligence. Only a few Leviathans escaped the Citadel. These few would watch as their empire was ground into dust. They decided to forever remain in hiding, know that the Catalyst was looking for them. They nicknamed the machines Reapers, for they left nothing alive on any planet they visited.

**Approximately 1.2 billion years B.C.E.** - The cycle continues every 50,000 years. During this cycle, the Reapers encountered a highly analytical race of beings. Instead of harvesting them to be the next Reaper, they enslaved them to become the Keepers, caretakers of the Citadel. The Reapers then formed the plan of utilizing the Citadel and the mass relays as a trap for future species. The new species would develop along the predetermined technological path set by the Reapers, ensuring they would always have the superior technology. The Citadel, in reality a massive mass relay, was to be an enticing find for any galactic governing species. This would ensure that when the Reapers attacked, they could immediately decapitate the leaders of the species and cause mass panic and confusion. The Keepers were essential since they would guard the secrets of the Citadel, ensuring no one would ever suspect the trap. Finally, it was decided that one Reaper would remain in the galaxy as a vanguard to call the other Reapers when harvesting was ready. The other Reapers would remain outside the galaxy in dark space. They await only the signal sent out by the Citadel to awaken and harvest the galaxy. For the next 1 billion years, this cycle would continue. Order had been brought to the galaxy.

**200,000 B.C.E.** - The Precursors arrive from outside the galaxy, their own galaxy enveloped in civil war. They decided to inhabit the Milky Way. Though few in number, they build a galaxy spanning empire that was not based upon the Reapers' intended path. Using slip-space drives, they found mass relays to be a curious but obsolete find. The Citadel was regarded as a mere communications station, as the Precursors could build much larger stations. They decided to seed the galaxy with life, as they knew their empire would not last forever. They created numerous species, including the Forerunners, San 'Shyuum, humanity, and others. During the creation of these species, the Reapers attacked before they could be uplifted. The Reapers were shocked when they came face to face with the Precursors. Ignoring the technological path set by the Reapers, the Precursors unleashed weapons that devastated the Reapers. Unfortunately, the Reapers had large numbers on their side and slowly pushed the Precursors back. After centuries of war, the Reapers eventually retreated back to dark space. Their numbers had gone from the billions to just over 10,000. The Precursors fared far worse. All of their planets had been devastated by the war and while technology could last the test of time, the Precursors themselves were dying. With only a few centuries left before all was lost, the Precursors named the Forerunners their successors and imprinted all their technology catches to operate for Forerunners. The Precursors were then slowly resigned to extinction. Their ultimate fate remained unknown.

**150,000 B.C.E.** - The Forerunners discover the technology catches left behind by the Precursors, though no mention or explanation is given about their extinction. The Forerunners suspect that the objects known mass relays had to do something with the extinction of the Precursors. They quickly adopted the technology of the Precursors, avoiding the Reaper trap. They soon controlled the majority of the galaxy. They then made contact with the young San 'Shyuum and Human Empire. Trade flourished and new technologies were developed in conjunction with all races. Peace became the goal of the Forerunners, as they adopted the Mantel. The Mantel was a semi-religious duty that made the Forerunners the protectors of all life in the galaxy.

**120,000 B.C.E.** - The humans discover a broken catch of Precursor technology that contains a faint powder. Experiments on the powder showed no visible effects on humans or San 'Shyuum, but gave the Pheru, a popular domestic pet, more visual appeal and improved domestic behavior. These Pheru were grown for centuries with no negative consequences. It was soon a common fact to combine Pheru with the mysterious powder. However, around 110,000 B.C.E., a third of the Pheru soon gained unusual growth such as spines or stalks. The other Pheru consumed these mutations and activated a biological timer that made the Pheru and the humans around them unusually hostile and violate. Entire human worlds fell to this threat. Eventually, the humans and San 'Shyuum discovered that the powder was really an adaptable parasitic life form. Attempts at quarantine all failed and the parasite threat spread to more worlds and systems. Incursions into the San 'Shyuum border caused an immediate response for retaliation, but relation attempts failed as entire worlds were consumed. In order to increase their diminishing empire, humans forcibly colonized Forerunner worlds. The Forerunners attacked with brute force and destroyed the fleets of both the humans and their San 'Shyuum allies. Humans had finally found a cure to the parasite threat, and sacrificed a third of their population to genetically attack the parasite. The parasite then retreated to the edge of the galaxy, deciding to wait for the right time to strike. By this time, the humans and San 'Shyuum were being assaulted at their home worlds by the Forerunners. Deeming the humans and the San 'Shyuum dangerous species, the Forerunners devolved each of them to the point of primitive cavemen. The Forerunners felt secure in their power and started the construction of artificial worlds. Recovery would take many years, but the Forerunners felt that they had the time to achieve such prosperity. The demilitarization of the Forerunners begins.

**100,000 B.C.E.** - The Reapers begin their attack. They become increasingly annoyed that their technological trap was once again thwarted. Never the less, they attacked all over Forerunner space, overrunning the Forerunners. The Forerunners had just finished demilitarizing less than 2,000 years prior, and was unprepared for a war on such a scale. To give themselves more time, the Forerunners retreated to what would later become known as the Orion arm of the galaxy and destroyed almost all mass relays in the vicinity. Seeing the increasing resistance, the Reapers attacked en mass through one single relay. The Reapers were once again thwarted when the newest of the Forerunner dreadnaughts appeared, the class known as the _Keyship_. These 12 kilometer long dreadnaughts provided the necessary push that the Forerunners needed. The Reapers were once again expelled from the galaxy. Their numbers dwindled from 10,000 to just over 200. They decided to wait once more, and set out to build their own Reapers not made from sentient life. They wouldn't be as powerful, but they would supply the Reapers with numbers. The Forerunners had started to spread out once more. Their military forces were stretched very thin trying to protect the new colonies. Many artificial worlds and systems are built in the Orion arm, resulting in the Orion arm becoming the densest area in the galaxy.

**99,000 B.C.E.** - The parasite, now known as the Flood, returns to the galaxy and starts devastating the Forerunner worlds. Many infected Forerunner populations turn on their brethren and the Forerunners became desperate for a solution. The Builders, a faction of Forerunners that controlled most of the wealth and political power in Forerunner space, suggested creating massive super weapons to annihilate all sentient life in the galaxy. This would effectively starve the Flood. The Prometheans, the military arm of Forerunner space, sought a different answer. With approval, the AI known as Mendicant Bias was commissioned to develop a defense against the Flood. However, the Builders decided to use their time to develop a massive shipyard outside the known galaxy. Known only as the Ark, they started the creation of the Halo installations. After finishing one, the Builders decided to test the weapon inside what used to be San 'Shyuum space. The firing proved successful, but the loss of life on such a massive scale proved to be the downfall of Mendicant Bias. Upholding the Mantle was one of his prime directives. Seeing such loss of life on such a scale by his creators caused him to go rampant and defect to the Flood. In response, the Forerunners created another AI, named Offensive Bias, to combat Mendicant Bias. The next six Halo installations were complete, but a computer virus instigated by Mendicant Bias destroyed Installations 08 through 12. Despite this, the Forerunners continued their plan. The rings now in place and the Forerunners desperate for any victory against the Flood, the Forerunners decided to activate the rings. In the year 94,683, the Didact, leader of the Forerunners, ordered the firing of the Halo rings from the Ark. The resulting explosion of power destroyed any sentient life within 3 radii of the galactic center. After the Flood had been completely eradicated, Offensive Bias took the opportunity to smash Mendicant Bias's fleet. Mendicant Bias was then captured by Offensive Bias and broken into pieces for study. However, only half of Offensive Bias made it back to the Ark. The other was lost along with the Keyship carrying it. Before the Forerunners disappeared, they hid caches of their technology across the Orion arm and named humanity their successors. It was humanity that would be entrusted with the Mantle. They would reclaim all that the Forerunners had and more.

**94,000 B.C.E.** - The remaining Forerunner AIs started to seed the galaxy with life again. Taking genetic samples of those saved by the Forerunners, the sentinels were successful in reseeding the galaxy. The Halo rings remained in orbit of their respective planets. The samples of the flood were contained inside the labs used to study the Flood. Each Installation had a Monitor AI that would ensure the rings would stay clean of the Flood. All AIs of every Forerunner installation in the galaxy awaited the eager return of the "Reclaimers," the humans would reclaim all that was lost. To ensure humanities survival in any scenario, the sentinels thought it best to seed humanity on numerous worlds, not just one. This would ensure humanity's survival and possibly create interesting observations and developments. The Reapers were interested in what could have created such a massive blast, but could never find the source. They sent a vanguard to investigate. Around the gas giant that would eventually be known as Mnemosyne, the Reaper eventually came into contact with a Forerunner installation outside the Orion arm. The installation destroyed the Reaper, leaving only a derelict as to what happened. The installation entered into slip-space back to the Orion arm. The Reapers stop attempts into the Orion arm, as there are no mass relays, and travel is slow.

**54,000 B.C.E.** - The Protheans emerge from their home world and discover the mass relays. They fall into the Reaper trap and use the technology given to them. They make the Citadel their capital and expand across the known galaxy. The Orion arm is largely ignored as there is only one mass relay leading into the sector. The Protheans developed a unique way to communicate, using thoughts to understand emotions, conversations and visions. They realized very quickly the threat of the Reapers, and resolved to unite the galaxy against them. They enslaved all known species in Prothean space. The lines between Prothean and alien became so blurred that all were considered Prothean after militarization was finished. This put a large strain on their economy and was threatening to collapse.

**50,000 B.C.E.** - The Reapers start their harvest of Prothean space. Invading the Citadel first, the Reapers cut all communications between planets. The cries for help are ignored and the Reapers seize control of every major mass relay. The Reapers were interested in the Prothean's use of biotic ability, and so created a means of controlling individual Protheans from afar. Called "indoctrination," the ability transformed many loyal soldiers into pawns of the Reapers. The military was utterly useless, as the Reapers discovered weaknesses in their defense. Since all species were uniform, a weakness to one was a weakness to all. The Prothean Empire was destroyed. At several military bases and at their main research base at Ilos, hundreds of Protheans were kept in stasis, to try and forge a new empire once the Reapers disappeared. Most attempts proved futile, as the facilities were taken over by Protheans transformed by the Reapers. Called Collectors, these beings ravaged the secret installations. Few survived as the Reapers retreated back into dark space. Order had been restored.

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**And so comes the fall of the Ancients. Moving onto the Citadel races and Orion Arm. Now, please do not be mad at me for having the Precursors be defeated by the Reapers. Again, in trying to balance things out, the Precursor ship that arrived to start the empire was a refuge ship. Huge amounts of technology, but very little actual Precursors. Already the Precursors were a dying race. Again, if you think something should be corrected, please include valid reasons.  
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	2. Awakening

**Timeline here will talk about the different areas of the Orion arm and then later it will talk about Citadel Space separately. This is to try to separate the different factions into certain theaters of war before connecting them. Enjoy.**

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**Approximately 10,000 B.C.E. to 5,000 B.C.E.** - The Orion arm explodes with activity. On one of the human populated worlds, named Terra by its people, the humans reach for the stars. Early in their history, Terra used to be the home of many psychics. They were able to tap into another dimension known as the Immaterium, or the immaterial universe. Utilizing this power, the psychics were able to do many great and wonderful things. The impossible became possible. They were even able to reincarnate, making them effectively immortal. They guided humanity to a prosperous start. However, after many generations of using the Immaterium, the psychics soon started to disappear. They wondered why. They discovered that their constant draw of power had caught the attention of one of the denizens of the Immaterium, a god of Chaos. This Chaos god had been devouring the souls of those psychics who had died, preventing them from reincarnating. This god soon revealed itself to the psychics as Tzeentch, the god of change. Tzeentch predicted that mankind would fall to his brothers Khorne, god of war and Nurgle, god of famine and disease. Horrified from this revelation, the psychics did all they could to stop these gods, but Tzeentch taunted them. Tzeentch foretold that mankind would be doomed to fail. That by the time the psychics had any sufficient strength left to fight them, they would have all been consumed. The psychics decided to pool all their collective energy to create one last incarnation. The power all psychics were able to defy all the demons that tried to devour it. Unifying in to one last reincarnation, the child born was named Adam. Adam was the most powerful psychic of all time and was also immortal without reincarnation. Adam swore to protect all of mankind from the dangers of Chaos. He traveled for centuries, giving advice and advancing science and technology. Eventually, he revealed himself and unified all of Terra's planetary governments under one banner, the Imperium of Man. Adam is the Immortal Emperor, the protector of mankind. United under one government and ruler, the Imperium of Man slowly colonized their star system. The Emperor was able protect new psychics that were born into the Imperium. Eventually, they were able to use the Immaterium as a means of FTL travel, though the path was always treacherous due to the forces of Chaos. They mitigated this effect using special psychics called Navigators. Navigators were able to see into the Immaterium using their third eye and navigate the Immaterium without issues. It was a rare event if one of the Navigators got possessed by Chaos, but it was not unheard of. The Imperium stretched across more than 200 systems when they came into contact with the Eldar.

The Eldar were a humanoid-like race that many would dream out of a fairy tale. The Eldar developed technology very fast and utilized a system of wormholes known as the Webway. The Webway was an intricate network of dimensional tunnels connecting in another dimension entirely. Instead of colonizing nearby systems with the ferocity of the Imperium, the Eldar colonized sonly 30 worlds and built the rest as artificial constructs. They knew colonization of the artificial worlds would take time, but the Eldar had extremely long lives. They could wait another thousand years. Instead, they moved whole systems into the Webway's many pocket dimensions. The Eldar had in fact colonized more than 80 worlds counting the Webway. They ruled from their capital Commorragh, a giant city in the Webway itself. The Eldar were extremely powerful psychics and mad full use of their abilities. The forces of Chaos took notice, but Eldar were much harder to corrupt. The Eldar were aware of the Chaos gods and placed special incantations on all their populations, making even one Eldar a force against Chaos.

When the Imperium first encountered the Eldar, both sides thought that the forces of Chaos had summoned a military to destroy them. They fought a brief war that was stopped when the Emperor himself stepped forward and negotiated a peace treaty with the Eldar Craftworlds. Seeing as how they had much in common, especially their hatred for Chaos, the Emperor and the Eldar made an alliance and traded technology. Both parties received a new golden age as trade flourished. The Imperium abandoned the use of Warp travel for Webway travel. This reduced the exposure of the Immaterium to mankind, but limited the expansion of the Imperium to nearby worlds. To travel longer would take centuries without the Immaterium. Webways could only travel to points that have already been established. To continue expansion, Webway beacons were sent by probes to new planets. It was a slower expansion, but progress continues. The Imperium did not discover any Forerunner artifacts during this time. The Eldar discovered one of the Halo rings, but thought to leave it alone. One of their Farseers predicted that this ring would have significance beyond what they could comprehend currently.

In another section of the Orion arm, closer to the galactic center, several human worlds started to expand. One of the civilizations was the planet Coruscant. The denizens of Coruscant had fought a bloody civil war between two different species on the planet. The humans had formed the 13 Battalions of Zhell, while the near human Taungs named themselves the Warriors of the Shadow when a battle had been fought during a volcanic explosion. The humans eventually drove the Taungs off-world, where they would eventually become the Mandalorians. The humans eventually faced overpopulation and Coruscant was turned into an ecumenopolis, a world covered by one big city. Seeking an answer to their population problem, they quickly colonized many surrounding systems using sleeper ships, massive ships that took centuries to get to their destination and put their crews in stasis for the trip.

One of these ships eventually reached the Corellian system. The Corellians had not just a population of humans, but also two other species, the Drall and Selonians. The Drall were a small, furry, and highly intelligent species found on Drall in the Corellian system. They were descended from burrowing mammals and they were extremely diligent record-keepers. The Selonians were a furry, burrowing species. Selonians were large musteline carnivorous mammals with long, flexible spines. They were regarded as fierce warriors. All three species traded and coexisted with each other without any major issues. It was here that an ancient Forerunner artifact was discovered. Named Centerpoint Station, it was theorized that the Corellian system was made artificially and that Centerpoint Station had literally dragged the worlds together. They Corellians introduced the Coruscanti with the hyperdrive, an extremely fast and reliable technology to travel faster than light. They explained that they reversed engineered some of Centerpoint and created a hybrid technology from it. The Corellians named the creators of the station the Architects. Using the new hyperdrive, the different species and colonies eventually banded together to form the Galactic Republic in 7,456 B.C.E. The Republic soon carried massive expansion efforts. Since it was close to the galactic core, the star systems were very dense and close together. The Republic soon controlled more than a 500 worlds and had many alien species become part of their government, the Senate. Shipyards became a major infrastructure cost, even as bureaucracy took control of the Senate.

At the same time, two other powers were becoming a force not far from the Galactic Republic. These two powers were the Rakatan Infinite Empire and the Tion Cluster. Both were very tyrannical and power hungry. The Infinite Empire was based from the planet Rakata Prime. The Rakatans were a humanoid species with distinctive amphibian features. They utilized a mysterious energy known as the Force. Using the Force, they could do almost the impossible. All Rakata could use the Force. They utilized it in their hyperdrives to locate planets that could support life. Rakatan society was divided between two factions. The Council of the Elders was a faction that wanted to expand peacefully and uplift the other species. The other, the Council of the One, was inclined to enslave the other species and create a massive takeover of the galaxy. The Council of the One was successful in launching an attack on the Elders. The Rakata began to expand deep into unknown territory. To the many species enslaved, it was tyranny at its worst. However, this soon landed them in the territory of the Tion Cluster.

The Tion Cluster was a confederacy of worlds held under the pirate lord Xim the Despot, a human that had been exiled from Corellia years earlier. The Cluster's early years can be best described as civil war and inserruction. Though Xim held absolute power in the current regime, he suspected that unless he did something that struck fear in his people, the civil war would simply cycle through. When the Rakata invaded, he saw his chance for glory. He fought almost two dozen battles against the Rakata. The campaign was long and tiresome for both factions. Both sides wanted to end the war quickly. The Rakata began to build a massive space station above their star. It would be called the Star Forge, a massive factory that would feed off the emotions of Force users to produce ships, droids and other munitions for war. The Tionese started to study the Force and its applications. They wondered if such a power had any weaknesses. When both projects were finished, the devastation was immediate. The new Rakata fleets and armies bombed the Tion Cluster back to one single system, Tion Prime. The Tionese developed a plague that only affected the Rakata. It effectively killed off two thirds of the Rakata population and stripped the Force from the remaining. Sensing weakness, all those enslaved by the Rakata rose up against their masters. Rakata Prime dissolved into civil war. The Infinite Empire was no more than a lost dream to many.

The Galactic Republic, still expanding, eventually comes into contact with those former-enslaved races. All of these races sought protection against threats of pirate lords and aliens like the Rakata. The Republic offered them sanctuary, but finds its military forces stretched thin. Expansion slows to a crawl to allow defenses to catch up. The Republic also learns of the Force from the former slaves of the Rakata. The Republic fears the possibility if such power was found again. No word has come from Rakata Prime. The Star Forge sits empty, devoid of any emotions of the Force. Tion remains an independent system, though Xim himself is dead. The last news to come from Tion Prime was the civil war that erupted from more than seven rival pirate factions. The Republic has blockaded the system to prevent raids on their own colonies.

Far from the battlefields of the core, the Vasari Empire arises out of the ashes of civil war in 8,135 B.C.E. A stoic and patient race, the Vasari sought expansion through the use of superior technology. They eventually developed their own version of FTL, the phase drive. It essentially phases a ship outside of real-space. Not driven by the physical laws of the universe, phased ships cannot be fired upon and can travel far distances in a short amount of time. However, it is not the most efficient method, as this requires a lot of anti-matter use, so all ships have the ability to collect anti-matter from the nearby stars. The Vasari judged themselves to be far superior to all other species. Eventually, this leads them to go to war with another space fairing species, the Yautja.

The Yautja are an ancient race of clan warriors, who hunt not because they must, but because they can and it is useful entertainment. They are highly advanced, though they have only 4 colonies, which was shocking for a race that has achieved space flight since 9,842 B.C.E. Yautja are humanoid like aliens, with arthropod-like mandibles on their faces for jaws and long, hair-like appendages on their heads that are set into their ridged skulls. Their most skilled warriors are known as Predators. Though cruel in their hunts of sentient life, they are bound to fight only those they deem worthy of combat. Harming the weak or the pregnant is considered dishonorable. Any who break these boundaries are stripped of all honor and titles and disowned by their families. This has kept the Yautja in control instead of giving in to base desires of killing. Their technologies have been developed for the individual warrior more than an army, so weapons for close combat are common.

When the Vasari attacked, the Yautja responded in force. Using their advanced cloaking technology, they ambushed and assassinated numerous Vasari landing parties. The Vasari realized how costly the invasion was becoming and simply bombed the planets from orbit. This blew the Yautja back to the Stone Age, but their honor and boundaries remained. The Vasari abandoned all hope of salvaging the invasion. The Vasari left to lick their wounds and rebuild their fleet.

**Approximately 5,000 B.C.E. to 2000 B.C.E.** - The Chaos god of war, Khorne, is furious that the Imperium and the Eldar have united to oppose Chaos. He then manipulates the Orks to attack both factions. The Orks, or green-skins, are a violent race that desires nothing but combat for the love of combat. They often form into huge crusades, known as a WAAAGH! These crusades can leave entire systems devastated. The first of the WAAAGH!s completely destroy the defenders of Cadia. Not to be pushed back, the Cadian Imperial Guard fight back and push the Orks to the edge of the system, where an Eldar battle fleet destroys the remaining ships. The Emperor than decides to create super soldiers to fight this new threat. Using his own DNA, he creates twenty children to be his legacy, the leaders of the battle. They are his Primarchs, who will lead his new army into battle against the enemies of mankind. The Eldar provide protection against any Chaos powers who would decide to intervene and steal the children. They would the first of his Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines. Successful, the Emperor teaches his children on their purpose and the ruinous powers of Chaos. Each was allowed to name his own chapter, and these new armies set out to destroy the Orks. They succeeded in 3,674 B.C.E. The Orks were declared extinct, though one Primarch, Sanguinius, swears he saw a battered ship leave for outside the galaxy. One of the Emperor's favorite sons, Horus, was named the new Warmaster, effectively becoming the supreme commander of all Imperial forces. Horus has stayed faithful to Emperor ever since.

For the Galactic Republic, the period following expansion would be very troubling. The Senate found itself buried under red tape, unable to get even the simplest of decisions made. This indecision caused a splinter faction to be created. Known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems, they soon reorganized under the name Galactic Confederacy. The Confederacy gave more autonomy to the individual star systems, clearing up much of the red tape. This succession was immediately followed by war, as the Republic sought to regain its authority in these regions. The Republic would have a larger army, as they included many of the highly populated and wealthy worlds near the capital. The Confederacy was made of many poor worlds around the edge of the Republic. They would have had a disadvantage had they not started producing droids to make up for population size. They also had the abundance of natural resources. This war dragged on for almost thirty years. The close of the war was simply the start of another. A third faction entered the war. The Mandalorians had returned after all these years. No longer made up of just Taungs, the Mandalorians were made up of a variety of species. The Republic and Confederacy were already exhausted by the war. Many worlds offered little resistance. Seeing the devastation caused by the newcomer, the Confederacy and Republic declared an alliance to defeat the Mandalorians. The war lasted twelve more years before the Republic claimed victory on the planet Mandalore. Mandalore the Great, the leader of the Mandalorian clans, submitted defeat and was exiled for surrender. Mandalorian space would remain independent for centuries to come. The clans delve into civil war as three factions vie for power: the True Mandalorians, a reformist group that wanted to see Mandalorians as highly paid and honorable mercenaries; the New Mandalorians, who sought peace and pacifism for their world; and the Death Watch, a radical splinter group that wanted to return to the old savage raider groups. These wars would last several centuries and the Republic and Confederacy funded both the True and New Mandalorians, finding both groups better than the Death Watch.

In the wake of 2,561 B.C.E., another human faction blasted off from their home world of Apollo. Calling itself the Trade Order, they established colonies all across their surrounding space. They believed in an ideal society not bound by large government oversight. All laws were simply regulations on trade. The individual planets could cover the rest. Prosperity was achieved with the invention of the phase drive, allowing FTL travel. Unfortunately, like the Vasari, it required large amounts of antimatter. During their endeavors, they soon found out they could establish colonies faster than ever. In a little bit of over four centuries, they effectively controlled more than 300 colonies. However, one colony proved to be a bit troublesome. The trade order forbid certain practices, believing them to be barbaric and would cause destabilization in the Trade Order. This colony, based on a desert planet, had defied almost every single one of those laws. They were banished to a star beyond the Trade Order's territory, hopefully to never be seen again.

The Yautja were once again a space faring species, though they were more wary of other species. They continued their hunts of sentient life. They collected many valuable trophies as reminders of the hunts. They would not be noticed for many centuries. They also discover the Xenomorphs, creatures that gave the hunt a new thrill. The Yautja were cautious though, as these creatures were just as cunning as they were deadly.

The Vasari Empire had rebuilt almost all of their assets and looked toward Trade Order space for expansion. Those exiled from the Trade Order colony also looked at the stars, wanting nothing more than revenge for the sins of the past.

In 2,200 B.C.E, the San 'Shyuum fell into civil war over the discovery of a Forerunner relic. It is really a Forerunner dreadnaught, a Keyship. The Stoics believe that it should be left alone, and that they should worship it like a god. The Reformists believe that they should use it and study the relic. The civil war that follows ends when 1,000 Reformists break inside and fly into space with the dreadnaught in 2,100 B.C.E.

**2,000 B.C.E. to 0 C.E.** - The Citadel side of the universe awakes in the Krogan Empire. They enter the nuclear age in 1900 B.C.E. The warring nations of Tuchanka, the Krogan home world, release nuclear weapons, devastating the advanced society. The Krogan are reduced to warring clans.

In 580 B.C.E., the Asari Republics discover the mass relay network and the Citadel. They form the Citadel Council to oversee Asari space.

In 520 B.C.E., the Salarian Union discovers the Citadel. They join with the Asari and become the second Council race.

In 500 B.C.E., the Citadel Council is recognized as an official independent and unbiased government of the galaxy. Both the Asari and Salarians were subservient to the laws and restrictions of the Council. The purpose of the Council is to provide peace in the galaxy.

The Volus make contact with the Council. They create a galactic currency and trade flourishes. They join the Citadel, but are not made a Council race. Both the Asari and the Salarians believed that the Volus would be pressured too much and couldn't handle the galactic policy. The Volus are angry, but agree to the terms.

The Turians finish the Unification Wars, which grants the Turian Hierarchy complete control over the colonies in the outskirts of Turian space. The animosity between the Hierarchy and colonies increase.

The Batarians discover their own mass relay. They make contact with the Citadel and are granted a member status, though the Council is wary since the Batarians use slavery. Slavery was outlawed the day of the founding of the Citadel Council. The issue is dropped since the Batarians claim that slavery is a part of their culture and that it would be intolerant if the Council stepped in.

The Asari uplift the Elcor and help them activate their mass relay. They soon become a member race.

The Hanar and Quarians make contact with the Citadel. They are also made member races.

The Council has established good terms with most races in their vicinity. They believe that they are on the road to a prosperous future.

In the Orion arm, things couldn't be more different.

The Tau Empire, a relatively young race, achieves space flight and establishes colonies around their home world of T'au. The Tau have a large caste system. Where you are born will decide what your purpose is for the empire. The Earth Caste has the builders and architects of the empire. The Water Caste has the diplomats and traders. The Air Caste has the pilots and navy. The Fire Caste has warriors and army. There is a fifth caste, only known as the Ethereals, who are essentially the rulers of Tau society. The Tau practice a semi-religious philosophical notion known as the Greater Good. The Greater Good is the notion that all beings in the galaxy should try to ensure the greatest good for the greatest number of being. During their expansion, the Tau could not utilize warp travel, slip-space or hyperspace. The Tau relied on FTL drives that took many months to reach a star. Thus, expansion was done in spheres. In their expansion, they several species, all that they forced to work for the Greater Good. These included the Vespid, winged insectoids that used sonic energy, the Kroot, semi-barbaric lizard-like creatures that excelled in hand to hand combat, and the Nicassar, powerful psychics who have the need to wander the galaxy. The Tau believed nothing could stop their expansion. At the Third Sphere of Expansion, they were proven wrong.

The Tau had encountered one of the farthest colonies of the Imperium of Man. The Tau, confident that nothing could stand in the way of the Greater Good, ordered the invasion of Imperial space. The battle that ensued found both sides in awe of each other. The humans gasped at the technology that these aliens had appeared with, using plasma and pulse rifles along with large battle suites. The Tau were amazed at the skill of the Space Marines, as they tore through anything that got in their way along with the bravery they showed in overwhelming force. The Eldar arrived and forced a truce on both sides. Tensions remained high, but trade was a common occurrence. The Ethereals were slightly annoyed that the Greater Good was stalled, but concluded that peaceful integration good turn these other races into allies of the Greater Good.

In the Republic-Confederacy Sector of the galaxy, the Republic and Confederacy agree to a permanent alliance. Exploring more thoroughly, they discover the world of Tython, where a society of Force users are discovered. Cautious due to the earlier contact with the Rakata, the diplomatic envoy is greeted with open arms on Tython. The Force users are a myriad of species and believe in a balance between the two extremes of the Force. They believe that the dark side corrupts and makes them a tyrant, a being willing to try the impossible even if it meant forsaking life. But the light side causes one to not see the realities in life and is only theoretical. A cause without passion is already lost. They referred to themselves as the Jedi Order. The Jedi Consulars focused on mastering the mysteries of the Force. The Jedi Guardians protected the weak from the battles to be, while the Jedi Sentinals balanced the two in order to locate truth from deceit. In coming into contact with the wider galaxy, the technological influx allowed the first lightsabers to be constructed. Pure blades of light, the lightsaber could deflect blaster fire and cut through almost any metal. The Jedi moved to the wider galaxy and became the peacekeepers of both the Republic and the Confederacy. To try and create a military arm for the Jedi, Project: SITH was initiated.

The Trade Order had prospered under good leadership and very little war. There were only small frigates to provide protection from basic pirate attacks. The prosperity was held in high triumph. Then the Vasari attacked. They ransacked entire worlds and enslaved millions into their workforce. In response, the Trade Order gave all of its authority to a new organization, the Traders Emergency Coalition or TEC. The TEC took direct control of many worlds and started militarization efforts across the remaining 241 colonies. The Vasari eventually gets stalemated in the line of defenses on many TEC worlds. However, the war would take a drastic turn for both the Vasari and the TEC, as the exiled colonists, now calling themselves the Advent, attack and ravage both sides. TEC space turns into a three way tug-of-war. The TEC is pressed to fight a two front war. The Vasari are also getting annoyed at the multi layered TEC defenses. The Advent are still on their crusade to eliminate the TEC, but now their resources are exhausted. This era in the war would be known as the Diplomatic Pause, since all factions are still in a state of war, but it is more of a cold war than anything else.

In 938 B.C.E. the San 'Shyuum first encounter the Sangheili on Sanghelios. The Sangheili are in disbelief that the San 'Shyuum would desecrate a relic of the Forerunners instead of worshipping it. The resulting war is the Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War. The result is a victory for the San 'Shyuum and the Sangheili reluctantly start to study the relics of the Forerunners to improve their technologies. The Covenant Empire is formed.

In 784 B.C.E., Covenant forces integrate the Lekgolo, and thus the Mgalekgolo, into the Empire. In 648 B.C.E., the space station High Charity is created to serve as the capital of the Covenant Empire. The Forerunner dreadnaught is made the centerpiece of the new space station.

On a small planet called Earth by its people, the people of Sparta fought against the Persian King Xerxes in 480 B.C.E. This legend would later influence a new class of warriors.

* * *

**For all of those Warhammer 40K fans, the reason why mankind is not xenophobic or has a collapsing society is because the Emperor stepped in earlier than in canon universe. As of right now, Imperial society is similar to the Dark Age of Technology, a time of technological prosperity for mankind.**


	3. Unification

**0 C.E. to 2,000 C.E.** - In the Orion arm, the majority of societies have found peace and stability with alliances. Expansion on all sides is mostly ground to a halt in the face of cold war stances or expansion on defenses. However, several instances have destroyed the peace.

In 543 C.E., an extragalactic force known only as the Tyranids invades the Imperium of Man. The Tyranids are relentless, consuming all in their path. Traveling in their gigantic hive fleets, they are an all-consuming organism, the perfect predator. The Emperor immediately sends out Horus to deal with the threat. The Eldar and Tau come to Imperium's aid, realizing that should the Imperium fall, the rest of the surrounding space would as well. They manage to expunge the Tyranids from the galaxy, but not before discovering that this is just the first of several invasions, each one more intelligent than the last. All three factions ready defenses.

The Galactic Republic and Galactic Confederacy finish Project: SITH, but one of the volunteers goes mad after the biological injections. Consumed by the dark side of the Force, he takes a ship and flees to the far reaches of space. In 749 C.E., he rediscovers Rakata Prime and the Star Forge. In 750 C.E., he returns to Republic-Confederacy space with a massive fleet and droid army. He initiates assaults on several worlds. The Force Wars begin. In 825 C.E., the SITH renegade, known as Naga Sadow, is killed in the orbit of Coruscant when the Republic reveals its newest cruiser, the Thranta-class cruiser. It was deemed to replace its older sibling, the Hammerhead-class cruiser. The Confederacy eventually tracks down the enemy fleet to Rakata Prime and locates the Star Forge. The Rakata are invited to rejoin the galactic community. The Rakata agree and colonize 3 more worlds to restart the Infinite Empire. The Star Forge is considered neutral territory and researchers are storming the station to unlock its secrets. Project SITH II is initiated with precautions.

The battle lines between the TEC, Vasari and Advent battle lines continue to escalate when the TEC reveals their newest defense, the Argonev-class Defensive Star Base. The Advent and Vasari update their own star base defenses. Behind the lines, small schisms are destroying the unity of all factions.

Over the course of time, the Covenant enslaves more and more species into their collective. The species collected include the Jiralhanae, the Huragok, the Yanme'e, the Kig-Yar, and the Unggoy. The Covenant is currently lead by the High Prophets, those San 'Shyuum who are deemed wise enough to understand the "Sacred Rings."

In 1,969 C.E., the people of Earth successfully landed a man on their moon of Luna. This was considered a huge leap in human (Earth) history.

Yautja started to visit Earth to find competition for hunts. Government is mainly unaware of Yautja.

In Citadel space, the many centuries would be marked by war.

In 1 C.E., a Citadel expedition opens up a mass relay. Contact with the Rachni is established. The Rachni are immediately hostile and use the now open relay to law waste to Citadel space. The Rachni Wars have begun.

In 80 C.E., the Council is looking for any options. They decide to uplift the Krogan from their radioactive home world of Tuchanka and push them to fight the Rachni. The use of Krogan is successful. By the year 300 C.E., the Rachni are considered extinct. Krogan population expands.

Expansion of the Krogan worries many Citadel races. The Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch, or Spectres, are created.

By 700 C.E., the Krogan start annexing territory from other Citadel races. In response to for their refusal to hand back the Asari colony of Lusia, the Spectres launch a preemptive strike on Krogan forces. The Krogan Rebellions begin.

Around the same time, the Citadel makes contact with the Turians. The Turians join the war against the Krogan. In an attempt to scare the Turians out of the war, the Krogans use nuclear weapons and WMDs to devastate Turian colonies. The Turians vow to make sure the Krogan are never again a threat to the galaxy.

In 710 C.E., the Salarians release a virus known as the genophage on Krogan, reducing the fertility of the Krogan. Krogan population starts to decline at increasing rates. By 800 C.E., the Krogan Rebellions end with the Turians having the largest military in Citadel space.

By 900 C.E., the Turians are given a seat on the Citadel Council.

In 1,400 C.E., industry starts to contaminate the Drell home world of Rakhana. There are now reported sightings of Collectors, Protheans who were changed by the Reapers. Most stories take place in Terminus systems and are dismissed as tales.

The Quarians create a race of synthetics known as the Geth as a source of cheap labor. However, in 1895 C.E., the Geth start to gain sentience. Fearing that they have created a race of AIs, the Quarians start to purge the Geth. The Geth rebel and drive the Quarians from their home world of Rannoch. The Geth remain in former-Quarian space instead of giving pursuit. The Quarians are exiled to a fleet of warships. The Council refuses to help them, since they created AIs. That was against Council law. The Quarians are shut out from the Citadel.

In 1,980 C.E., Aria T'Loak assumes control of Omega. Power in the Terminus systems shifts towards the Queen of Omega.

**2,000 C.E. to current year** - The Imperium of Man, the Eldar and the Tau are successful in beating back two more hive fleets, though the last one almost reached Terra. Technological innovation is on the rise, as the Emperor replaces superstition and fear with logic and reason. The relations between all three sovereign nations continue to grow into the year 2,500 C.E. Chaos shows increasing signs of gathering a military force in the Immaterium. The Emperor and his Primarchs stand vigilant.

By 2,000 C.E., the cold war between the TEC, Vasari, and Advent breaks as each is involved in their own civil war. The TEC is divided by indecision. The loyalist faction wants to increase defenses around their own worlds and sit the war out. The rebel faction wants to strike out at their enemies and liberate their people. The Advent now decide the fate of the TEC. The loyalists want all TEC populations killed for the sins of the past. The rebels are now questioning whether genocide is the correct path. The Vasari face a smaller, but equally distressing schism. The loyalists want to continue the war and seek glory for the empire. The rebels want to return home and ream their fleets before striking back. The newest class of ships, named Titan-class, made their debut, dwarfing anything else on the battlefield. War continues to devastate all three empires. Along the way they discover artifacts that help them in their cause. It is not known to them, but they originate from the Forerunners.

The Galactic Republic and Confederacy enjoy centuries of peace. They update their military accordingly, but the action seems to be far from their territories. Unfortunately, that would all change when forces originating from outside Confederacy space attack a Confederate patrol. The enemies are revealed to be light side force sect known as the Light Beacon. They desire the entire galaxy to be united under one banner and see all differences between races and species eliminated. They state they will do this by force. Unknown to anyone at the time, they were actually inspired by a lost Advent message capsule. The Second Force War had begun around 2,364 C.E.

Striking with a massive fleet, the Republic struck into the heart of the Light Beacon, bombarding the worlds of Korriban and Dromund Kaas. Jedi and Sith battled the delusional warriors all the way to their leader, who was named the Priest of the Light Beacon. The Priest stood on the steps of their great temple on Dromund Kaas. The leader of the Jedi-Sith army, Lord Hoth, engaged the Priest in a battle of wills and lightsaber dueling. Knowing he was defeated, the Priest attempted to unleash a Force attack known as the Shining Light, an attack that would consume all Jedi and Sith in the vicinity into a ball of light. The attack fails when it is stopped by Darth Bane of the Sith. The Second Force War is concluded around 2,450 C.E.

On another planet occupied by humans, this world is shrouded in cold war. A massive arms build-up of nuclear weapons and a lack of resources have finally taken their toll on the nations of the planet named Eden. In the year 2,077 C.E., all nations launch their nuclear missiles at eachother. The war lasts for two hours. Radiation makes the planet almost unlivable. Some people were put into vaults for safety. These people would awaken to a world of horror. Mutations of the local populace and fauna begin. The world is also visited by a race known as Zetans. From their mothership in space, these Zetans desire to experiment on the humans that annihilated each other, as their own world was facing a similar situation.

On Earth, the nations of the world decided to unite under one government, the United Earth Government. The colonization of the solar system had begun, with Mars being the first target. Terraforming continued on worlds such as Venus and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. However, political unrest and colonial feelings eventually erupted in rebellion. The Interplanetary Wars begin in 2,160 C.E. and do not end until around 2,200 C.E.

In the late 2,200's, Earth's scientists had perfected the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive, allowing humanity to colonize the stars. By 2450, the UEG, the United Earth Government, had more than 500 worlds colonized. However, the rebellions began to resurface. To combat this new threat, the UEG hands all colonial authority to the United Nations Space Command, or UNSC. They were designated as a needed force. They were to become the military and economic engine of the colonies. The Inserruction Wars begin, and do not end until 2,525 C.E. when first contact is made with the Covenant. The Spartan II project is started by ONI, the Office of Naval Intelligence. Kidnappings of children are initiated to find perfect candidates for the program.

The Covenant has remained united, though shaken from the Unggoy Rebellions and the Age of Doubt. The current High Prophets of Truth, Mercy and Regret scan a newly discovered world with the Luminary, a device that can locate Forerunner artifacts. The Luminary finds thousands of Forerunner glyphs. Interested, the Ministers of Fortitude and Tranquility consulted the Oracle on board the Forerunner dreadnought. The Oracle was really the last half of Mendicant Bias. In a shocking statement, the Oracle proclaimed that the entire Covenant religion was based upon a misinterpretation. The glyphs that had formed the Covenant religion were not of "reclamation," they were "reclaimers." This shook the Council to the core. These "humans" were the true reclaimers of the Forerunners' legacy. Horrified that this could upset their religious power, the Prophets decide to exterminate these "reclaimers." This ended up with the Covenant assaulting Harvest in 2,525 C.E. The Human-Covenant War began.

After the fall of Harvest and five years of war, one San 'Shyuum prophet stumbled upon the truth by accident when consulting the Oracle about corruption and rebellion in the Council. In front of both the Prophet of Prosperity and his Sangheili bodyguard, the Oracle revealed the truth about the humans' connection to the Forerunners and the purpose of the "sacred rings." The betrayal of the Hierarches to the rest of the Covenant made all present furious. However, none could match the lone officer in the honor guard, the Supreme Commander of all Covenant forces, Thel 'Vadam. He had led the armies or the Covenant in numerous operations against the humans, only to find out that it was all a lie. The Great Schism has begun. Instigated by Thel 'Vadam and the Prophet of Prosperity, their legitimacy allowed them to attract numerous followers. Many enslaved species joined with the new Covenant Revolutionaries. However, the majority of the Jiralhanae, led by Chieftain Tartarus, stayed loyal to the High Prophets. High Charity became a battleground as every inch was fought over. In order to bring a more religious following, Thel sacrificed his rank to become the Arbiter, a warrior that only appeared when he was needed. This caused more troops to defect to the revolutionaries. However, the loyalists still held most of the fleet, making most engagements long and tiresome. In an attempt to get help, Prosperity sent an envoy to the human colony of Reach.

At Reach, many humans were surprised to see a lone shuttle approach the fortress world. Defenses were prepared in case a fleet jumped in system. When the message was revealed, the emotions were a little more than just surprise. The prospect of a ceasefire and an alliance seemed suspicious, but UNSC HighCOM was inclined to accept. The UNSC sent ships and troops to High Charity and other worlds. The war took a turn for the worst when it was discovered that the Hierarchs had found a giant ring in space. It was known throughout the Covenant as the Sacred Ring. Arbiter Thel revealed to the UNSC what he had discovered from the Oracle. Dozens of UNSC ships arrived to try and stop the activation of the Halo. A fierce battle took place in the space around the ring and on the scenic surface. One of the Spartan troops deployed was John-117, the Master Chief. After his Pelican had crashed into one of the structures, he was greeted by an AI construct known as 343 Guilty Spark. The AI gladly helped Master Chief find the Hierarchs, who were deep in the library, trying to activate the ring. Guarding all three of them was Tartarus with his gravity hammer Fist of Rukt. Master Chief eventually confronted them. Before the brutes could assault the Chief, a massive explosion rocked the entire installation. Guilty Spark then came rushing in, warning about containment procedures. Questioning the AI, Truth demanded to know what the threat was. They soon found themselves surrounded by very small and agile creatures. The Flood had escaped containment. As it turns out, one of Covenant's Phantoms had crashed into a containment facility, spilling its contents. The Flood quickly consumed two of the five brutes guarding the Hierarches. Eventually, Mercy and Regret are taken by the Flood. Tartarus saves Truth and escapes the Flood via troop transport. Master Chief escapes while battling infected Flood hosts throughout the Library. Eventually, several Forerunner Sentinels arrive to destroy the Flood hosts. In conjunction with the Forerunner Sentinels, UNSC and Covenant Revolutionaries took control of the entire installation. Truth had fled in the Covenant Super-Carrier Abiding Truth. Tartarus and an army of Jiralhanae had joined him. As of 2,530 C.E., the Human-Covenant War was over.

The next few years would be chasing the loyalists back to the Jiralhanae home world. By the year 2,533 C.E., the loyalists were considered defeated and the Jiralhanae were consumed in civil war with many tribes vying for power. The UNSC-Covenant Revolutionaries declared a DMZ over Doisac and returned to friendly space.

The UNSC lost billions of lives in those 5 years of war. Many colonies were glassed and those that weren't had extensive damage done to their surfaces. The UNSC vowed to clean these worlds and make them once again habitable for colonization. The Revolutionaries, under the leadership of Prosperity and the Arbiter, swore to help the humans. From the Covenant, the humans gained more advanced technology, including weapons and slipstream drives. They also learned of their connection to the Forerunners. ONI was immediately tasked to study the Forerunner relics. From closer inspection of the Halo installation along with Guilty Spark, the UNSC discover that this was only Installation 04, and that there were seven rings. Though Guilty Spark could not reveal the locations of the other rings, he could point them in the dierection of the shipyard that made them. The UNSC were shocked to find that the portal leading to the Ark was on Earth. Excavation nearby New Mombasa begins in 2,534 C.E.

The Covenant invites humanity to join them. The UNSC decides to hand back power to the UEG before deciding. Humanity formally joins the Covenant in 2,537 C.E.

In the same year, the Ark is located and hundreds of scientists descend upon the station to study its mysteries. Cities and colonies follow soon after. Taking the Forerunner Dreadnought with them, Mendicant Bias is reunited and is ashamed of its actions during the Forerunner-Flood War. He swears to become the protector of the Reclaimers and their allies. From the Ark, humanity learns of the locations for all Forerunner installations, including the Forerunner home world. Reverse engineering technology advances their technology by centuries. It is during this time that humanity wanted to reform the Covenant. To many, this came as a shock, but agreed that the old system was based on a lie. Reformation begins. ONI begins training Spartan IIIs.

By 2,540 C.E., the reformation of the Covenant is over. Now calling itself the United Orion Alliance, or UOA, they were fast in colonizing new systems and Forerunner artifacts. After discovering more shield worlds and other artificial constructs, the UOA finally made it to the Forerunner home world, where they discovered wondrous new artifacts, but a new deadly enemy, the remnants of the Promethean military. These AI warriors used advanced technology to surround and destroy their enemies. After a month of fighting, the UOA finally located the leader of the Prometheans, Offensive Bias. Recognizing the humans as the Reclaimers, the AI apologized, as it had believed the UOA to be like the other raiders. Questioning about the other raiders proved a shocking revelation: the Jiralhanae had escaped their home world once more. Tartarus had assumed complete control when Truth was murdered by a rival clan. The Jiralhanae had become pirates. The UNSC immediately sent ships to deal with the Jiralhanae. The Jiralhanae were all but wiped out in 2,544 C.E. Any Jiralhanae left were either revolutionaries in the UOA or primitives on Doisac. The UOA learn of the Mantle and swear to uphold it.

Reverse engineering the technology left behind by the Forerunners on their home world caused an explosion of innovation within UOA space. The UOA also learned that the Forerunners seeded several worlds with humans and that they could have made their own empires. More ships are created to seek these others out. They also wanted to secure the Halo Installations, believing them to be too powerful to be in the hands of those ignorant of their purpose.

First contact is made with the Imperium of Man and the UOA in 2,556 C.E. The Emperor is surprised to find more humans outside the realm of the Imperium. He is more impressed with their technology. The Eldar and Tau quickly send envoys. All are invited into the UOA. Since they would still remain autonomous states within a larger galactic government, all three agree. The Eldar also reveal the Halo ring. While the UOA are happy to have another Installation back in safe hands, the Tau and the Imperium were upset that the Eldar would keep it a secret. All of them trade technologies, increasing the strengths of all factions. This alliance comes just in time, as another Tyranid hive fleet descends upon the Tau. The combined fleets with the new technologies destroy the hive fleet. Like the rest of the UOA, the new empires learn of the Mantle and swear to uphold it.

Following the continued traces of humanity, the UOA arrives at the destroyed world of Eden. As it turns out, society began rebuilding under several factions around the world. After fighting a brief skirmish with the Zetans in orbit, envoys arrive on the destroyed world with the hand of peace. All accept the help accept for one faction, the Enclave. They attack the UOA envoy with deadly force and plan to study the UOA weapons. The UOA responds by landing a fleet on top of every Enclave base and annihilating them. Terraforming of Eden begins and humanity, along with those mutants who could still think for themselves, rebuild their society. The Forced Evolutionary Virus is discovered and is placed as a government secret. Liberty Prime is recovered from the Capital Wastes and its blueprints are taken for production. Eden joins the UOA and technologies, especially weapons, are traded.

The Zetans are followed back to their home world and the situation is explained once diplomatic contact is made. The UOA agree to help the Zetans if they join the UOA and trade technology. The Zetans are more than happy to agree. However, they had to stop experiments on other sentient beings, much to their scientists' dislike. Cloning technology expands.

In 2,560 C.E., the UOA finds a part of the galaxy in chaos. While searching for another Halo ring, they come across the three-way civil war between the TEC, the Vasari and the Advent. Contact is made with the TEC. The TEC eagerly join the UOA, wanting the civil war in their borders to stop. TEC gain the necessary technology to unite and push the Advent and Vasari back. The Vasari schism erupts into full civil war. The UOA fleets invade Vasari space. After months of fighting, the UOA succeeds in leading a revolution of Vasari rebels to take the capital. The Vasari declare the war with the TEC and Advent over and peacefully join the UOA. The Advent face their own rebellion and UOA agents assassinate all of the loyalist leadership, allowing the more tolerant rebels to take control. The Advent join the UOA and are interested in the Forerunner's technology with the mind. The UOA identifies all of the artifacts found in the region as Forerunner and when the Halo ring is discovered in their space, all three factions are in awe.

With the Vasari, the UOA discover the Yautja in 2,580 C.E. Yautja Prime has become infested with Xenomorphs and most of the Yautja are in their four remaining colonies. The Yautja are desperate to find any solution. Contact is made and the Yautja agree to join, but they must give up their hunts on sentient life. Most of the Yautja are angered, but realize their best hope lies with outside help. They agree and the glassing of Yautja Prime begins. The Xenomorphs are believed to be extinct by 2,582 C.E., but no one is sure. The Yautja populations begin to recover.

In 2,600 C.E., the UOA makes contact with the Republic and the Confederacy. Seeing the technology that the UOA has, the Confederacy is eager to join and expand their influence. The Republic, which includes various species, is less inclined, but seeing its ally the Confederacy join and from pressure from the Jedi Council and Sith Council to join a larger galactic collective, the Republic formerly joins as the representative of several hundred species. The technological innovations create huge amounts of wonders. The Rakata have also been contacted. Eager to expand and recreate the Infinite Empire, the Rakata join the UOA. Now under a united banner, the UOA forces assaulted and took control of Mandalore. The New Mandalorians and the True Mandalorians were given control and joined the UOA. They quickly became heavy shock troopers. ONI creates the Spartan IV and the Spartan V project to fill in certain niches in the military. IV would excel at recon and V would excel at heavy assault.

In 2,650 C.E., contact was made with the Chiss Ascendency. Intrigued by the technology of the UOA, the Chiss agree to ally with the UOA. They wanted to evaluate all their options before joining. As a token of good will, the Chiss send one of their most brilliant commanders, Thrawn, as a gift.

Expansion begins all across UOA space. By 2,700 C.E., they effectively control 50% of the known galaxy and occupy the densest area of space. Their technology is almost on par with the Forerunners, as they started using the Ark to construct more artificial worlds. Medical technologies allowed many people and species to extend their lives to several thousand years. They control all but one Halo ring, which was located clear across the galaxy. Some were worried, but were assured that only a Reclaimer could activate it. They made sure that all human home worlds had been accounted for. The UOA had started to create joint colonies to ease tensions between species. The capital of High Charity was moved into the orbit of Coruscant and Coruscant was made the official government capital. High Charity would exist as the military headquarters. The UNSC decided to colonize the planet Shanxi as the start of what was to become a joint colony. However, a discovery at the edge of the system provided an artifact not of Forerunner origin. Featuring what seemed to be two prongs along with a strange energy reading. Curious, the object was to be studied by a group of scientists and guarded by two UNSC frigates along with a cruiser. The rest of the UOA promised to send more scientists, but most were caught up in building the newest of the UOA Guardian-class dreadnoughts. These monstrosities were designed to be bigger than any other ship on the galaxy and guard the borders and important installations of the UOA. They were all jointly built by all factions and so had a lot of mixed designs, though each faction that received one got to choose how it was to be armed. This ensured that each ship would be unique and that tactics for each would have to be different. Thrawn was the one who suggested this and it was accepted unanimously. The UNSC prepares to activate the relay.

In Citadel space, peace was enjoyed by most species in Citadel space. The Drell had finally polluted their world to extinction and the Hanar evacuated more than 375,000 Drell before the other 11 billion destroyed themselves fighting a war for resources. Those Drell saved vowed to serve the Hanar and became very competent assassins.

In 2,125 C.E., the Citadel made contact with the Yahg. Sending diplomats over, the Council was horrified when they were slaughtered. The Council declares the Yahg a dangerous species and closes all contact with them. The Shadow Broker acquires one and trains it to be an operative codename Kelchu. However, the Broker becomes concerned that Kelchu is too effective and attempts to eliminate him. The plan comes too late and Kelchu assumes the identity of the Shadow Broker.

In 2,400 C.E., the Citadel Council reveals the Asari dreadnought Destiny Ascension. At more than three kilometers long, it is the largest ship in the Citadel fleet. The Turians have also stepped up their production. As per the Treaty of Farixen, for every five dreadnoughts the Turians have, the Asari and Salarians have three and all other Citadel races have one. Curiously, the class designated as carriers are not included, and thus races are allowed to build infinite amounts. The Terminus systems are left alone.

By 2,700 C.E., the Turian peacekeeping fleet has more than 500 dreadnoughts in its arsenal. The Asari and Salarians have about 300 each while other Citadel races have less than 100 dreadnoughts joint (mostly Batarian). Many client races are resentful but deem the powerful Turian military a necessity. To prevent another Rachni War, the Council sent out numerous fleets to patrol the relays, making sure no one activated any dormant relay without Council approval. One such fleet, commanded by a Turian commander by the name of Commander Aktriv, was patrolling the outskirts of relay 314 when he was informed that the relay was activated…


	4. Hard Contact

**Well, this is the first official chapter of the story. I apologize immediately for those who were put off by the long Timeline. I was simply trying to establish the current universe up until the point of contact and I believed that some background information should be posted. I didn't like the thought of just "plopping" another universe inside Mass Effect. That would be too easy. Instead, I needed to craft a universe that encompassed all the crossovers into one galaxy. I plan on doing a "Codex" to go into details of the different factions and technologies. Like in Mass Effect, they help understand the story, but are not necessary. I don't plan to force anyone to read all of my ramblings.**

**The Critical One As I said before, I was simply trying to formulate a background for all races. I apologize. Again, it was me just rambling my thoughts.**

**drich147 In the canon universe of Halo, the Precursors were an all powerful race and pretty much almost invincible. Here, I changed the timeline so that instead of just being an empire that expanded to another galaxy, they were refugees that left their own galaxy due to civil war and famine. they do not have the necessary people to formulate a fully integrated empire, so they used machines to spread their influence. When the reapers attacked in the billions, the Precursors had lost most of their military technology back in their own galaxy. Besides, in this universe, the Reapers lost billions and ended up with only a few thousand before retreating. I also wanted to give a purpose to the Forerunners, so being the legacy of the Precursors was just one of my random thoughts. The Precursors in this universe already knew they were a dying race. And I didn't feel comfortable just sidelining the Reapers. I could have easily gone with the OP Precursors/Forerunners, but give the Reapers some credit. They were harvesting races for almost a billion years and integrated numerous civilizations into their synthesis. Ultimately, they didn't win over the Precursors, but they were the reason for their eventual collapse as a species in the Milky Way.**

**With an m16 Since I made it to where the Reapers lack sufficient amount of numbers to steamroll the galaxy, I hope to make them into a far darker faction, especially in the underbelly of society. The Reapers will use new tactics to make up for lost numbers in their wars with the Precursors/Forerunners. The Citadel, will be behind on technology at first, but some interesting developments have yet to be revealed.**

**StarCraft is awesome Since I needed the Reapers to have some significance, I decided that after Human-Forerunner War, the Forerunners would demilitarize, thus creating a vulnerable society. Normally, the Forerunners would have beaten the Reapers easily. However, no military means no defense and the Forerunners were assaulted on every world. I decided to make the Keyship a new design just for the war with the Reapers, as it looks different from the other Forerunner dreadnoughts. Again, the Reapers were beaten back, but the Forerunners also took losses as well.**

**mr I hate znt nobles kill em Maybe, but don't count on it. I am already trying to juggle around all these universes. Plus, each universe I add should have some significance to the story. If an element I have written turns out to have little to no significance to the rest of the Mass Effect universe, then I will rewrite the story and change the factions present. Your idea of the interactions with the interaction between Batarian culture and the Tau-IOM are interesting, but I need a twist to get them to interact. I have seen numerous crossovers where the opposing force dislikes the Batarians use of culture as a means to protect slavery. I don't want to repeat that sub plot, but rest assured, the Batarians will make transgressions on the UOA. I will keep your idea in mind for a later plot**

**the black sun 21 please read my response to drich147. I know that some people will get angry at interpretations, but what can you do? I need to give the Mass Effect universe some significance, otherwise, I need to move this from Halo-Mass Effect crossovers to a new section.**

* * *

Shanxi System

September 29, 2700 C.E.

UNSC Cruiser _New Horizon_

Commanding Officer - Admiral Steven Hackett_  
_

In a time before space, humanity used to look across the sea and wonder what mysteries and dangers were on the other side. Many theorized that treasures and other relics were there for the taking. Others pointed to barbaric tribes or cannibals. It was only after years of exploration that the unknown became the known. Man stopped fearing the sea. Man expanded and conquered the mysteries of the frontier. Yet now, man still has fears of the unknown, as ships make their way across the vast sea of space, the new frontier. Men would like to say they have no fear, but for anyone to travel blindly into the unknown and say such a thing was either crazy, brave or extremely stupid.

_Most likely the latter_, thought Hackett.

Admiral Hackett was a wizened veteran of the TEC. When the Trade Order had come under attack from the Vasari and Advent, his family had been one of the first to enlist in the TEC. Generations of his family had known only war. He had risen through the ranks due to his charismatic stand-fast tactics and had even participated in the defense of the TEC capital, Apollo, from an Advent incursion. When the TEC civil war occurred, he remained loyal despite half his fleet falling to the rebel's propaganda. When the war was over, Hackett had been a veteran of over 106 years of service, 52 of those as an admiral. While he was glad the war was over, he felt no love toward the Vasari and Advent. He was disappointed when reparations for the war were not as high as the TEC calculated.

_The Vasari and the Advent… They never saw their cities burn, their children slaughtered, and their planets occupied. They were always on the offensive, pushing us to the brink of extinction. Perhaps in time, we can all hold hands and sing, but for now, we will never forget the sins of our past. Never…_

Hackett was interrupted out of his thoughts when the captain hailed him over hologram. The blue model stood at attention.

"Sir?" questioned the young man. Hackett sighed before answering.

"Yes, what is it, Captain Dres?" Heinrich Dres was human who hailed from the Imperium side of space. He looked professional in his UNSC uniform, but slung over his shoulder was a primitive gas mask. It was this artifact that reminded everyone that he was soldier from the Death Korp of Krieg Imperial Guard regiment. The UNSC liked to hire outside help so as to create better cohesion in tactics, especially in the different human factions.

"I thought that you would like to know that the scientists are in place and ready to activate the artifact." The artifact in question looked to be a two prong fork. Add to that it was powered by an unknown element. It was considered to be a curiosity by the scientific community. Only a month earlier did the scientists discover that it was part of galactic wide network of travel. The expedition was planned just a week earlier. Perhaps this artifact leads to the more than just more colonization. Maybe even a new intelligent race. This was accepted by many, but feared by some.

While appearing calm, the apprehension was clear on Dres's face as beads of sweat were visible even on the hologram. Being from the Imperium did that to you. The Imperium had been assaulted numerous times by the unknown, including Orks and Tyranids. The last thing the UOA needed was another hostile species on their doorstep.

"Thank you, captain. I'll send word to the frigates"

"As you wish, sir." The hologram disappeared, only to be replaced by another. This time it was a figure of a very young woman. She was dressed in what seemed to be old Greek robes. However, on her head was a helmet with the picture of a crescent moon etched in.

"Athena?" Athena was the central AI on the _New Horizon_. AIs were central to the management of ships and fleets in the UOA. Hackett was wary of them at first, but after seeing how useful they were, he accepted them without question. Now if only something could be done about their attitudes…

The hologram smirked at him. "Having trouble again, admiral?" _Well, at least someone's in a good mood._

"I need you to inform the _Garagin_ and the _Liberator_ that the relay is about to be opened. I want those ships close in case something goes wrong." While Hackett had to make a few gambits in the TEC military, he had no excuse not to use all available resources while a part of the UOA.

"It's already been done. Expecting trouble from the scientists, or maybe bureaucrats?" Hackett gave her a serious look.

"It's not what's on our side that concerns me. It's what's on the other. Dres is from the Imperium and by the looks of it, he knows the dangers of facing the unknown. He has the right to be cautious."

"But discovery and courage are necessary to carve out an empire. Besides, if we are attacked, we can always fight back." Athena then made a point by creating a digital spear and getting into a defensive stance. _For an imitation, she has certainly adopted Athena's stance on problems._

"That may be necessary, but I would prefer peaceful contact with any species. The last thing I want to do is get involved in another war. It will just get more people killed and create more grieving families." Hackett knew this from experience. His uncle had been a captain of a Kol-class Battleship in the TEC. But always, he would make time to visit the family every time he got shore leave. Years before Hackett joined the military, word was sent that the TEC fleet was ambushed by an Advent Unity fleet outside of the system border. No survivors were recovered. The feeling of sorrow was felt across those associated with his uncle. Brushing those thoughts aside, Hackett continued with his over view.

"The frigates will stay close to the research vessels while the _New Horizon_ will bring up the rear. If anything hostile comes through, we'll be able to provide artillery support with the MAC gun." Athena simply nodded as she disappeared to relay the orders.

Hackett turned his attention to the window of the bridge, to look out upon the small fleet. Even though the UNSC was activating an ancient artifact, all they could spare was one Halcyon III-class cruiser and two Paris IV-class frigates. Inadequate given the find, but most fleets had been recalled for retrofit. Also, the UOA was about to reveal their largest dreadnoughts to date, the Guardian-class. Entire fleets had been recalled for guard duty, as no one wanted to see these ships get hijacked. The thought of even one of those 50 Kilometer behemoths getting stolen made Hackett frown. But he needed to concentrate on the now, as the first research ship activated the relay. The two rings inside the "eye" of the artifact started spinning as a single probe was shot off at incredible speeds toward the other side.

_Now we wait for an answer…_

* * *

Turian Relay Patrol Fleet

Commanding Officer- Commander Aktriv

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Turian Dreadnought _Under Fire_

Outside of relay 314

To say that the commander was bored was an understatement. The Turian military, the most powerful fleet in Citadel space, wasn't cleaning up messes brought about by rouge military parties. It wasn't going after pirates or even the damn Batarian's slaving rings. No, instead of fighting slavers and rogues, the Turian military was put on patrol duty, watching for an enemy that would never come, and generally just sitting in space while the bureaucrats drained revenue on feel-good projects. From what the Citadel News told him, today was a Hanar celebration for the "glory of the Enkindlers." While most species had at least acknowledged the Protheans as an advanced civilization, the Hanar took it to an extreme level of worship.

_ To think that an entire species worships a dead civilization. There's a reason they're dead now, yet these Hanar continue to look upon them like gods. If they want to worship something grand, all they have to do is look upon a Turian battle fleet. Then they can start groveling._

Lothmik Aktriv was the current commander of Patrol Fleet Delta. He was an average Turian with a silver exoskeleton and featuring two lines of orange tattoos from his face to the back of his head. In charge of patrolling the relays of this side of Citadel space, he had already grown bored with his command and sent numerous requests to transfer closer to the Terminus systems. All of these requests, from his perspective, were ignored.

Shaking his head, Aktriv looks out from his position at this patrol fleet. It was a standard patrol fleet that was equipped to handle any situation. It included eight frigates, three cruisers and one dreadnought. The _Under Fire_ was one of the updated dreadnoughts, as in had been fitted with the newest disruptor torpedoes and mass accelerator cannons. At one kilometer long, the dreadnought was an awe-inspiring sight. As General Arterius had said before, "Once the enemy sees the destructive firepower of the Turian fleet, they have already lost."

Seeing as how there was no activity in this relay, he may as well call the fleet to inspect the next relay.

"Aktriv to fleet, this relay is, once again, declared dead. Let's move onto the ne…" He was immediately interrupted when the one of the officers on the bridge shouted, "Sir, a surge of energy is coming from the relay!"

Aktriv couldn't believe it. There was no possible way. This relay had been dead for centuries.

"Impossible! Check the scanners again!" Aktriv would not let incompetence betray his rank. The thought of a first contact scenario buzzed in his head. The communications officer spoke up this time.

"Sir, I have confirmation from all ships that they are reading the same surge in eezo coming from the relay."

All Turians in the fleet waited with anticipation as the relay charged up and spit out its contents for all to see. Anticipation turned to confusion, as they say a small capsule emerge from the blue glow. This was not what Aktriv expected from a first contact. Again, the communications officer spoke up again this time with worry.

"Sir, the object is signaling out a beacon to pinpoint a location." Gulping, the Turian continued, "What if it's the start of an invasion?"

Fear and silence overtook the command room as Aktriv debated this. The Rachni Wars were the reason relays were to never be opened without approval. If another Rachni Wars happened…

With new determination, Aktriv turned to face the communications console for his fleet. Broadcasting to all ships, he declared, "We will not have another Rachni War! If the enemy is planning to invade, we will strike first and decimate the enemy. They broke Citadel law and will answer for their crimes. All ships, into the relay!"

Cheers could be heard all across the _Under Fire_. Soon, the blue hue of the mass relay engulfed all twelve ships, which then shot off in the direction of the offenders.

* * *

Shanxi System

September 29, 2700 C.E.

UNSC Cruiser _New Horizon_

It had been more than an hour before the probe had arrived on the other side and started broadcasting its position. The scientists were shocked that the signal was being broadcast from almost the complete opposite of the Orion arm.

"Unbelievable, this form of FTL is able to cross mass distances, but it took longer to get there than by slipspace. Whoever these aliens were, they sure were wasteful." Immediately after the location of the probe was determined, Athena started an analysis of the FTL method. While it was a reliable form of FTL, it was judged by the AI as primitive to slipspace, hyperspace, and webway travel. Hackett was still looking out as the research ships started to turn back home. Their only mission was to send the probe and determine the nature of the relay. However, after only a few moments after both craft had turned around, the relay started to glow bright again. Hackett's eyes widened.

"What the hell is going on!?" Athena could offer no explanation. Both research ships had started to travel away at a much greater speed, in case the artifact exploded. The small rings spun faster as twelve blue points of light appeared out of the darkness. After getting into proximity of the relay, those same blue arrows slowed down. Hackett could finally get a visual. It appeared to be a fleet of twelve starships. Each of the starships had an angular design, yet seemed robust unlike the Forerunners. Eight of the twelve were no bigger than the research vessels. The four larger vessels looked to large destroyers from the UNSC ship manual. However, all twelve vessels were giving off the same mysterious reading as the artifact.

"Athena, what am I looking at here?" Hackett was not prepared for a first contact scenario. The TEC's first contact scenario with the Vasari ended up in war. He secretly hoped this was some experimental fleet of the Chiss or another UOA faction. Athena's answer crushed his hopes.

"None of these ships are broadcasting the correct identification codes, nor do these ship designs match any in the known UOA directory. I'm sorry, Admiral, but this is first contact." Hackett grimaced. Trying to put aside his personal thoughts, he went with protocol and started initiating first contact orders.

"I want the frigates to start escorting the civilians to their hanger bays. The _New Horizon_ will send the first contact package. Athena, I want you to start hacking their systems for information. If we need to go to war with these aliens, I want all the information I can get."

"It shouldn't be a problem." Just before Athena started to disappear, another thought appeared to Hackett.

"One more thing before you go." Athena listened intently. "If you find anything of strategic value, I want it sent immediately to UOA HighCom. If the negotiations go bad, I want them to know about it immediately." Athena nodded before disappearing. The frigates had already started to move toward the relay to pick up the civilians. Hackett looked at the opposing fleet.

_Perhaps mankind's destiny is in the fires of war. I can only wish I am wrong._

* * *

Shanxi System

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Turian dreadnought _Under Fire_

When the fleet had come out at the other side, the Turians were shocked at the sight. Around the mass relay was a small fleet of ships of unknown design. They looked utilitarian in design and their gray hulls made them look similar to boxes. One of the ships was a shocking 1.5 kilometers long, almost a half a kilometer larger than any dreadnought in the Turian fleet. The other two were in similar design and seemed to be almost 900 meters in length, almost as large as the dreadnoughts of the Turians. Printed on all the hulls of the ships was a terrestrial planet with an avian creature on top. The letters "UNSC" dotted all three vessels. Aktriv looked out in awe of the alien vessels. This was a new race. They were even space faring. He knew that in the event of first contact, the Council was to be alerted to start diplomatic relations. However, before he could start ordering the procedures for the first contact package, the two smaller ships started to move toward the relay. Realization hit Aktriv. _They're going to go through the relay. Citadel law comes first!_

"All ships, this species has presented itself as breaking the laws of the Citadel. We are to deter them with force to show the true might of the Turian military. All ships, target the two vessels heading toward the relay. Once we have pacified their cruisers, we can worry about their dreadnought." A surprise came from one of the technicians.

"Sir, our scanners do not detect any element zero from any of the frigates, they don't have any kinetic barriers. There is a large amount of energy coming from all ships, but we assume that's the engines." Aktriv smiled. This would be like a walk in the park. Without kinetic barriers, the Turians would have the advantage. They were obviously a primitive race. He may even get a promotion if he makes this species a client race of the Turian Hierarchy. He prepares to launch his attack.

"All ships, prepare to fire on my mark. Fire!"

All mass accelerator cannons roared with a thunderous blast. Following them was the light blue trails of the disruptor torpedoes. All weapons were fired straight at the two cruisers. After a moment of silence, the projectiles made impact.

* * *

Citadel space

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Asari Research Vessel _Blazing Trail_

The galaxy offered numerous mysteries, especially those that studied the races that came before. Liara T'Soni was no exception. The young Asari was always interested in the past, much to the distaste of her forward-thinking mother. Liara made it her life's passion to study the ancient relics left behind by the Protheans, an ancient species that once held the entire galaxy together in one great empire. Their mysterious disappearance only deepened Liara's interest, as they had created so many great artifacts, such as the mass relays and the Citadel. It was hard to believe that a species that great simply disappears from the galaxy without so much as a record of war or strife. Liara was determined to not only find out the cause of their extinction, but unlock the secrets behind their technology for the betterment of the galaxy. That is when she was recruited for this mission.

Recently, Citadel forces stumbled upon an unknown artifact in a system far from the local mass relay. Many thought that it was Prothean in origin. The Citadel Council gathered a team of scientists to inspect the artifact. Due to her research, Liara happily accepted when the Asari Councilor Tevos approached her with the offer. Now she would get the chance to inspect not only a Prothean artifact, but one that was intact.

She looked over at the rest of the team that was gathered to inspect the artifact. Many of them included Salarian scientists, but their were also some Asari and Volus scientists scattered throughout the room. The Turians provided the security team to guard the scientists during their excavation. However, one Hanar was also present. When the Council had revealed the existence of the artifact to the officials of the independent governments, the Hanar requested one representative to safeguard any finds during the search in honor of the Enkindlers. The Hanar thought of the Protheans as gods, so they would be very protective of Prothean artifacts. Liara hoped that there would be little interference, but based on prior experiences, she was prepared to weather the storm of comments from the Hanar.

The team had decided to meet in the conference to decide how to search the relic. Liara, being an expert on Prothean ruins, was the first to speak.

"So, do any of you know what this artifact is?" Many of the scientists gathered had blank expressions. Most had received very little information, as most was restricted to the top of STG. However, one Salarian, who looked like one of his horns had been cut off and had several scars on his face, answered.

"From my contacts, it appears the artifact is a ring of unknown origin. Could possible be connected to extinction of the Protheans. Fascinating if there are any structures on the artifact." Liara was surprised at the answer. Since most information was classified, he must have some powerful connections.

"Thank you, Doctor..." She didn't know the Salarian's name and hoped he would introduce himself.

"Mordin Solus, T'Soni." Ah, that explained it. She read in his dossier that Mordin was once part of the STG. He really did have powerful connections.

"Thank you, Mordin. Now, how should we proceed? If this ring is as large as a planet, how would we search it? We only have a team of twenty scientists and maybe thirty guards." It would take forever to search the whole ring together, yet lower numbers meant danger to all teams. One of the scientists, an Asari, raises her hand.

"Perhaps we should scan the artifact for important structures. If more than one exists, then we split up into appropriate numbers." This was argued from another point of view by a Salarian.

"And what happens if the entire artifact is littered with buildings and structures? If that is the case, we can't search all of them." It was at this time the Hanar spoke up.

"This one is concerned of your haste to disturb the relics of the Enkindlers. This one requests that all relics be brought to this one for inspection." The elicited a groan from all of the scientists. A Salarian voiced his opinion.

"Please tell me that we are not bringing him with us?" The Hanar was quick with its reply.

"This one is only concerned that you would destroy the relics of the Enkindlers, and create a disturbance." Liara was also tired of the Hanar's "concerns," but tried to get back on task.

"Alright, we will draw up our plan once we arrive at the artifact. We will try to respect any finds on the artifact, but I make no promises. Our purpose is to reveal information, so some disturbances will be required." Before she could continue, the captain of the vessel spoke up over the comm system.

"Science team, I would like to inform you that we are approaching the artifact in less then a minute." The comm sounded off and many of the members in the room started walk toward the window of the conference room. As the ship decelerated out of FTL, the window image faded from the blue stream of FTL to the dark void of realspace, only broken by the small pinpoints of light. The captain then returned on the comm.

"Goddess, how is it possible?" Liara was interested. Activating her omni-tool to interface with the captain, she wanted to know what was out there.

"Captain, please show us." As an answer, the ship started to turn so that the window of the conference room faced their destination. All scientists gasped in amazement. The Hanar floated in silence. The artifact was a giant ring, orbiting a large gas giant. While the outside of the ring was covered in metal superstructure, the inside featured a terrestrial surface, filled with bodies of land and water. To construct such a ring would be a huge undertaking. It looked even bigger than the Citadel. Liara only had one response to this gigantic artifact.

"Goddess..."

* * *

**Well, that's the first official chapter. Please note: I am not an author, so if I make grammatical errors or mistakes, or don't explain a certain aspect enough, I will be sure to correct it or put it in the next codex entry. Thank you.**


	5. Relay Skirmish

**Well, this is the second chapter, and now you will get to see how reactions and fears play out over the first official skirmish. I hope to keep updating as much as I can, but schoolwork usually gets in the way. Now to answer questions/concerns.**

**Lord Sigfry Well, you managed to catch one of the subtle details. To answer would be telling, but lets just say the Precursors aren't done yet. Details of the civil war will come with the story.  
**

**Ashans22 I thought about only doing a Halo-Mass Effect crossover, but my mind always wanders to more. Besides, there are a lot of good crossovers that deal strictly with UNSC/Covenant meets the Citadel Council. I really enjoy xpredatorx's Halo: A New Age. I wanted my universe to be somewhat unique. I did have an idea for a Sins/Mass Effect crossover, but I digress, need to concentrate on this one before going on a new one.  
**

**Sgt. Nolisten In this universe, the Force users try to not go toward any of the extremes (strictly light or dark). They are more similar to when the Force was first discovered and all was grey (except for the Rakata). The Jedi are considered the civilian arm of the Force users, but are highly respected in the UOA. They act as peacekeepers and mediators for internal conflicts. The Sith are simply those Force users that wanted a military arm for UOA. They only answer to the UOA senate and leadership. They will not answer to any individual faction withing UOA space.  
**

**mr I hate znt nobles kill em Chaos is still out there, but because the fall of the Eldar and the fall of mankind never occurred, they are severely lacking in forces to invade the Material universe. They will need a Warp Storm to occur, which I plan on introducing later.  
**

**Arhra The UOA use a combination of shields taken from the individual technologies. This will all be explained in detail from the codex. See my notes after this chapter for more information on the codex.  
**

**Naginator Thank you for catching that, this has been corrected. It was just supposed to say "impact," but my mind is obviously tired/lazy. Thanks again!  
**

**HD-spartan Each faction trades technology but maintains their own military forces. They all want to be self sufficient in battle, which is kind of the opposite of the Council. The Council relies upon the Turians to provide protection. While some troops may seem like over-kill, I have plans to eventually level the playing field (more or less). Since the Citadel has never had to deal with another set of technologies, they felt no need to research more. This makes them stuck in the Reaper trap. Exposure to new technologies could change this. Biotic abilities have lots of potential, and I want to exploit that. As for your idea of a drinking round for all main characters, I will first have to establish the majority of characters, but as long as I can place them in a Tatooine cantina with the cantina band, you have a deal!  
**

**jaass20 Again, each holds a separate military chain of command. The Spartans also can do some operations that Space Marines may be limited in. Space Marines are primarily used for assault. Spartans can work a variety of missions, including recon and hacking. Maybe Scout Marines, but even then, I will make sure Spartans can move much faster than Space Marines (example: take the Red vs Blue series of the Freelancer Project. Carolina was able to move extremely fast. That is what I plan to make the Spartans in this universe). The Yautja gave up the hunt unwillingly to save their home planet. Just because they are all part of the UOA doesn't mean they all like each other. This will be explained in due time in the codex. The Yautja will also specialize in intelligence gathering due to their expertise on cloaking technologies. For the Jedi-Sith relations to the UOA, read my answer to Sgt. Nolisten or wait for the codex to come out (see author's note after chapter).  
**

**forget the rest I'm not complaining, I'm simply stating that I need evaluate each universe I add. I need to make sure that they will impact the story in an interesting way and not just be some after-thought that I imagined in my sleep. Ex: I had thoughts about adding in Portal, but with the Forerunner's teleportation technology, Portal wasn't needed. Half-Life may be a different story though... The soldiers of Krieg did have to use nuclear weapons when the first Tyranid incursion took place (more in the codex once it's finished). I'm going to sideline the Old Ones, as I have different plans for the Necrons. The Orks will have a different origin (to be revealed later), and the Eldar had to develop the Webway on their own. When the Imperium first encountered the Eldar, the Eldar had colonized far fewer worlds than the Imperium. This is because the Webway took time to create from scratch. Slaneesh does not exist yet, but I have a plan to introduce the 4th god of Chaos (this will involve the Tion cluster, but that's for later). Besides, I want those Noise Marines to start playing music on the battlefield!  
**

**Now speaking of adding new universes, I have decided to add two more universes. I will be expanding on the Insurrectionist/Separatist Movement as a main plot. To combat this threat, I would like to say that I do not own Red vs Blue (though that would be pretty awesome). As for the Insurrectionists, they need a leader. So I would also like to say that I do not own the Command and Conquer series of games. Peace through Power!**

* * *

Shanxi System

September 29, 2700 C.E.

UNSC Cruiser _New Horizon_

The aliens had fired at both of the frigates. All eyes on deck just tracked the path of the orange rounds before settling on the two frigates. The rounds exploded in a bright orange fire. This was soon followed by the slower blue rounds. From the initial explosion, no one could see the effects of the second salvo. However, when the fires cleared, the crew of the _Nee Horizon _could breathe a sigh of relief. Both frigates were not only still intact, but they looked undamaged by the salvos. Admiral Hackett was relieved that the civilians had been hidden on the other side of the frigates, but was still concerned as both frigates had small patches of light blue around their hulls.

"Athena, get me a status report on the _Garagin_ and the _Liberator_. I want to know what kind of damage those weapons did." Hackett saw the explosions. If those were only frigates, what could their dreadnoughts do?

"I'm already on it." Athena paused before getting confirmation from the other AIs. She received the information and analyzed it for a few seconds. She still could not understand why the other AIs were making a joke when she asked for the data. The explosions seemed pretty serious and… oh, that's why they were laughing. She couldn't help but chuckle herself. Hackett noticed and looked a little confused.

"Is there a reason you would think of a joke just now?" Hackett was starting to get annoyed that the AI would be laughing during a battle. Athena calmed herself before giving her report.

"Well it would seem that the _Garagin_ took five direct hits from mass accelerator rounds and more than ten of those blue torpedoes. It is currently holding with shields at 99.3%. The _Liberator_ took seven direct hits from mass accelerator rounds and two of the blue torpedoes. Shields are holding at 99.8%."

Hackett was more than shocked. He felt almost the need to laugh two. In a battle, shield percentage meant everything for a ship. If shields were gone, crewmen started to die. To see this fleet inflict such a futile amount of damage brought a smile to his face. This would not be another Vasari invasion. It would be the defense the UOA deserves.

"Captain Dres, I want you to engage those ships at maximum range with the MAC gun. Do not fire any other weapons. Let's keep our true hand hidden until they start to engage in close. _Garagin_ and _Liberator_, you are free to use your side gauss weapons. Coordinate to target different ships. There is no need to waste shots here." Hackett felt confident that these aliens would have inferior shields. After all, if their weapons couldn't make a dent in the shields, then there was no reason to assume that their shield technology was any more effective. Dres's hologram appeared a few seconds later. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Sir, the MAC gun is ready to fire." After integrating technology from numerous civilizations along with the Forerunners, the UNSC had developed a more powerful version of the MAC gun, but this time with an increased firing rate of almost two rounds per minute along with increases in accuracy and range. This made the MAC a very deadly weapon on any battlefield. Hackett gave the word to Dres.

"Dres, you are to fire at will against one of the larger vessels of the enemy. Do not fire at the largest vessel. I want to give Athena time to hack their systems for information. Their smaller ships will be targeted by the gauss cannons from the frigates." Dres nodded an affirmative.

"It will gladly be done." As the captain signed off, Hackett looked back toward the enemy fleet. Where there was once fear, confidence replaced it. The prey had become the predator. Despite the latest attempts in buffering the large recoil of the MAC gun, the ship still shuddered as the magnetic accelerator round left the ship traveling at unreal speeds toward the enemy fleet.

* * *

Shanxi System

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Turian dreadnought _Under Fire_

5 minutes earlier

The entire crew of the dreadnought gasped when the enemy ships came out of the fire unscathed. Commander Aktriv just stared in disbelief. Those were the latest gains in weapons technology. The new mass accelerator cannons were guaranteed to punch a hole in any shield. The disruptor torpedoes should have shredded the hull to bits with eezo. How could any ship shrug off those rounds and come out in perfect condition? It was unreal. He turned toward a technician who gave a shout.

"Sir, we are reading that the enemy dreadnought has spiked in energy usage. It could be a weapon." Aktriv was unwilling to allow fear to trouble him. In a professional manner, he sat back in his command chair and started issuing orders to the fleet.

"All ships, I want full power to the shields. Prepare another salvo to answer their attack." Aktriv was concentrated on the enemy dreadnought, but his thoughts did linger to the two smaller enemies. Instead of going for the relay as he originally thought, they started to circle around his fleet.

_They probably want to avoid our main cannons. Our weapons must have made an impact on their shields. Maybe they no longer have any._

Aktriv was about to order his frigates to turn toward the two ships when one of his cruisers, right beside the _Under Fire_, exploded in a giant ball of fire. Aktriv was wide-eyed at the sight.

"What the fuck was that?!" For the first time in the battle for the relay, Aktriv felt something. He had felt fear before. He felt it during training, during battles and even during his time dating. No, this wasn't fear. It was sheer terror. One of the scanners answered him.

"Sir, it was an accelerated round of some sort. It traveled faster than any weapon in Citadel space! It punched straight through the _Solar Wings_'s shields! We can't even get a proper debris reading!" The fear was apparent on the Turian's face. Then, smaller blasts started to rain from the direction of the smaller enemy ships. The blasts were slower and smaller than the behemoth the dreadnought fired, but as they hit the frigates, the blasts proved just as deadly. Holes were punched straight through the frigates. Two blasts punched through one frigate's eezo reactor. The blast annihilated not just the Turian frigate, but another one next to it. Before Aktriv could coordinate some sort of defense, his scanner alerted him back to the dreadnought.

"Sir, the enemy dreadnought is gaining energy again! It might be going to fire another blast!" Aktriv's eyes widened. The last blast was less than thirty seconds ago! With a rate of fire like that, the patrol fleet would get annihilated. While it was never the Turian's way to retreat, there was no possible way to beat this enemy. Terror made his orders accepted by all the Turians in the fleet.

"All ships, make back for Citadel space! Turn back! Turn back!" His orders almost fell on death ears when another round shot off and annihilated another one of his cruisers. Luckily, the Turians were still disciplined enough to keep some form of control. To panic would mean death for the entire fleet. The rest of the Turian fleet was still getting shelled by the enemy cruisers. More explosions and lost comm transmissions signaled more lost ships. It was a tense few moments before the _Under Fire _reached the relay. The blue glow of eezo surrounded the ship before it shot off, back to its origins, the only ship to make it. Aktriv could only breathe a sigh of relief before slumping back in his command chair, wondering how he was to explain this to the Hierarchy.

* * *

Shanxi System

September 29, 2700 C.E.

UNSC Cruiser _New Horizon_

Hackett was impressed. Not only did the MAC gun completely annihilate the enemy ships, the gauss cannons were just as effective in ripping through the enemy's shields. The wrecks of the enemy had started to drift apart, pieces sometimes bouncing off of the UNSC ships' particle shields, shields designed to prevent physical damage. After just a few minutes of battle, eleven of the twelve ships had been destroyed. The largest had escaped back to its origin. While Hackett was disappointed that the ship wouldn't stick around for another gun fight with the MAC, he was eager to hear the information that Athena had gathered from her hacking. Athena appeared just a few seconds later. Her smile was far larger than it should be. In fact, it was almost contagious, as Hackett found himself smiling back. Already in a better mood, Hackett was patient as he waited for his report.

"What do you have for me, Athena?" Her smile never wavered as she spoke.

"Well the good news is that we have more than enough data here to fill a library. This includes information on fleets, tactics, factions and locations of planets. The better news is that it was one of the easiest jobs I have ever done." Curious, Hackett inquired why.

"How so? Were their AIs not as advanced? No firewalls or other precautions?" It was standard issue on every single UOA ship to include firewalls and barriers to prevent hacking. Even if these cyber defenses were breached, the on board AIs could easily deflect any intruder to their systems. Athena was quick with her answer.

"It's even better sir. They don't have any AIs." Hackett was shocked. These people looked to be veteran space travelers. Are they really not able to develop AIs? _That could explain their inefficiency with firing rates._ Hackett pressed on.

"What other information did you gather? I want to know everything about theses aliens. Who attacked us? How big is their military? Do they have any capabilities that could threaten UOA space?"

"The aliens that attacked us are called the Turians. The Turians are a militaristic race that acts as peacekeepers for a larger political body, the Citadel Council. It seems that this Citadel Council oversees several different races and tries to ensure peace in their area of space. However, several treaties enacted by the Council have put military and political power into the Council races. It says here that the Council makes all decisions regarding galactic importance, but only the voices of the Council races are presented as legitimate to galactic law. Other races hold embassies, but have no say in galactic policy. The Council races include the Turians, the race we faced, the Asari, a mono-gendered species, and the Salarians, an amphibian-like species. The Council races also have more military warships than other races, ensuring they remain in power despite the unequal representation. Their capital is the Citadel. They say it's a massive space station, but from our view point, it would be kind of small when compared with High Charity or the Ark. It appears that we broke one of their laws regarding the activation of relays. They seem to be very cautious about exploration. There are a lot of other entries, but those don't seem to be important right now." Satisfied with the report, Hackett moved on to the next part of the agenda.

"Now, I want to know the effects of their weapons. They didn't seem to be very effective against our shield arrays." Athena nodded before bringing up a couple of diagrams.

"Well, the first thing is their mass accelerators. They are able to accelerate a projectile to moderate speeds using the unknown element also found in the relay. They call it Element Zero, or eezo. This eezo combines with the round to make an explosive blast. However, the round was intended to hit the hulls of ships, breaking through the shield barriers before detonating. Against actual shields, it shouldn't do much. However, that cannot be said of their disruptor torpedoes." Athena brought up another chart.

"Their disruptor torpedoes are powered by eezo to eliminate and drain shields. Against the hulls of ships, the eezo literally eats away at any metal not designed to hold eezo. I performed 1,563,891 scenarios against the hulls of our own ships. Our armor would hold, but after about fifty hits to the same area, it would collapse on itself and multiple hull breaches would occur. The effects on shields are a different story. When the torpedoes hit our shields, the initial impact brought our shields down by a small margin. But after detonation, eezo spread across the rest of the area. It seems that the eezo slowly drains shields. In the battle, the eezo drained approximately 0.05% of the shields before dispersing. It also makes impact area weaker then the rest of the ship, making it vulnerable." Hackett was interested. It was like a poison, slowly draining the strength of an enemy, providing a vulnerable point to attack.

"Thank you, Athena. Send all information to HighCom. I got a feeling that they will want to speak with me personally after the initial reports." Athena nodded before disappearing. Hackett decided to bring up Dres. Seconds later, Dres appeared. He looked much more relaxed than before the battle.

"Yes, what can I do for you, admiral?" Hackett thought over his options. He could wait around here in case another attack came out of the relay. Or he could go back to Shanxi and prepare defenses in case of an invasion force. Choosing the latter, Hackett resumed.

"I want the fleet to make back toward Shanxi. I need to speak with General Williams. I fear that this isn't over by a long shot. The colony needs to ready its militia and defenses in the case of invasion." Hackett could hear some cheers in the background from some crewmen who thought they could get some shore leave. Dres, sighing from his crew's reaction, ignored them and confirmed Hackett's orders to the rest of the fleet. However, Dres felt the need to ask certain questions.

"Did you find out who attacked us? What was their purpose here?" Hackett didn't feel like retelling a whole tale, so he decided to relay the information Athena found directly to Dres.

"You will find all relevant information on your datapad. Look under "Intel: Relay." I think you will be quite pleased. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to freshen up before meeting with HighCom. My guess is that I'll be meeting with the Senate as well." Hackett could only grimace as he imagined the hundreds of senators asking a thousand questions, most of them repeated. Dres could only grin at the thought.

"I wish you the best of luck, sir." Dres signed off a moment later. The small group of ships started to turn around toward Shanxi as Hackett retired to his private chambers. He then remembered a time when he got to meet one of Eden's famous Rangers while at a club on Coruscant. Out of the whole conversation, he remembered the one quote that stuck in his head. It was known by all of Eden's people, as they have only known that kind of life.

_War, war never changes. And it never stays silent._

* * *

Outside of relay 314

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Turian Dreadnought _Under Fire_

"Is this some kind of JOKE!?" The rage on General Arterius's face was clearly visible as Aktriv winced. Even in hologram form, the general's rage seemed all too life-like. The general, Desolas Arterius, was displeased that Aktriv had engaged an enemy before reporting back to him. He was angrier when he heard that the Turian patrol had not only been defeated, but completely annihilated. He was furious when he found out that the retreat was done in haste instead of tactically. Losing an entire battle fleet was not a good start to promotion. Aktriv tried to plead his case.

"General, let me explain…" He was quickly interrupted when Desolas continued his tirade.

"You mean you could explain how the Turian fleet, the pride of the galaxy, was not only defeated but annihilated? And also how you outnumbered the enemy and still lost? Or even better, why YOU are still here to tell me about it!?" Aktriv took this opportunity to continue.

"Sir, this species possessed weapons far beyond our capabilities. They took out our ships with single shots. Their shields seemed invincible to our weapons. So many died in their first salvo…" Aktriv was still in disbelief over the result. Desolas had calmed himself by now, but still regarded the commander with contempt.

"Yes, I have read the reports. I find them to be unbelievable. I wonder if your sanity is…" He got no further as Aktriv slammed his fists down on the console.

"Sanity!? Damn you, my men got slaughtered out there, and you question my sanity!? You have guts to say that to my face!" Aktriv was shocked and angered that Desoslas would insult every single soldier in the fleet, especially those dead. Deciding that pressing the issue would result in more meaningless shouting, the general continued.

"I have evaluated your actions. You did the correct thing to enforce Citadel law, but your loss at the relay was disgraceful. The fact that your entire fleet lies dead and only you stand before me proves that. I will be meeting with the Hierarchy to plot a new strategy for this new race. For now, you will return to Palaven and your rank will be suspended until we can evaluate your mindset." Aktriv had a different opinion of the decision.

"No! Let me go with you! Let me avenge my fleet!" Desolas expressed a sympathetic expression before resuming.

"Your will to return is admirable, but the fleet must be united as one to prevail. I believe that your will to avenge your fleet may lead to costly mistakes." Aktriv wanted to argue, but there was no point. He knew the general was right. Revenge would have to wait till after the occupation of this species.

"I will return to Palaven. Please promise me that you will make these offenders pay? That all this will not be for nothing?" The general only nodded before disappearing from view. Aktriv was left depleted of energy and rage. He was tired, tired of fighting, of shouting. His last order was to begin the relay jump to Palaven. He simply lay on his bunk, trying to figure out what went wrong.

* * *

Citadel space

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Asari Research Vessel _Blazing Trail_

The scientists had been shaken out of their shock and plans for survey started to form. Initial scans revealed the ring was approximately 10,000 km in diameter, a huge distance. Just the size of the ring was a reason for amazement.

_We've never seen such large constructs among the Prothean ruins we uncovered. I can only imagine the information stored on this construct. There very well could be volumes of texts, priceless artifacts!_

Further scans revealed a welcome sight: while the entire ring was dotted with structures, only one of them appeared to have signs of energy usage. The team agreed that this would be the only structure studied currently. The rest could wait for more exploration teams.

Liara entered into the shuttle along with five more scientists. The guards had their own shuttles and would be sent down first. Liara immediately noticed that she shared a shuttle with Mordin. Trying to strike up a conversation, she started with what she saw in his dossier.

"So, a scientist and a STG agent? You have quite the experience." Mordin looked up once he realized the question was directed at him.

"Well, while in STG, one needs to know science. Requirement, for experimentation and other projects. Always need to find the most efficient answer to prevent war." Liara was satisfied with that part, but show frowned when she got to the next.

"It says here that you lived on Omega for a while. Did STG kick you out?" Mordin seemed to reminiscent when she mentioned Omega. Sensing this, Liara realized she had touched on a sensitive subject.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to bring up a sensitive subject. I only wanted to..." She got no further as Mordin held up a hand.

"No, it is alright. I was a doctor while on Omega. Tried to help the sick, the poor. Unfortunately, caught attention of many gangs. All teamed up to get rid of me. Used STG experience to eliminate all hostiles. Unfortunately..." Mordin looked down,troubled. "The gangs killed all the patients." Liara was stunned. She had always heard the Terminus systems were brutal, but to kill helpless patients waiting for medical purposes...

'I'm sorry for your loss. It must be hard to put the blame on yourself." Mordin dismissed her apology.

"No, just have to work better, smarter next time. No more innocent life should be lost. Careless of me to hire mercenaries, use combat drones next time." Liara was a little disturbed that Mordin would try to use logic to understand problems, but that may just be the Salarian's way of coping with situations. Liara turned her attention back to the ring.

_Maybe such problems can be solved with whatever we find on this ring. After all, the Protheans must have solved a way to overcome such barbarity._

* * *

The Artifact

September 29, 2700

Near the Structure

Once the shuttles landed, Liara looked around at her surroundings. They had landed near the structure and was amazed at its architecture. It appeared to made out of metal, but all of it was shaped into perfect geometric shapes. Blue light shone across the structure, making it appear like circuitry. It gave the structure a feeling of order, as if nothing was left for beauty, yet it contained its own elegance. Opposite of the large building was a beachhead. The water slowly shifted with the tides as waves washed up on the surface. So many scientists were ecstatic. It was an artificial world with its own ecosystem, unheard of in Citadel space. Even the guards looked around in amazement. The Hanar started to openly praise the Enkindlers. Making sure the landing sight was secure, the science team started toward the entrance of the structure. Closer inspection revealed that the structure was weathered by time, but appeared ancient. But revelation set off shout.

The rest of the science rushed over to find out what the issue was. The Salarian in question was studying the structure, trying to determine age and what made up the building blocks.

"What is it?" one of the other Asari scientists questioned. Many of the scientists were eager to hear the results.

"Well, I was looking at the structure. I noticed that it shares very little similarities with the Citadel and other Prothean artifacts. I decided to scan the material that made up of the building with my omni-tool. I still can't believe it, it is an entirely new construct! Whoever built this had the ability to reconstruct matter itself!" Liara and the other scientists were shocked. The only known species to use a constructed alloy in their artifacts were the Protheans, but then the words of the scientist came to her mind._ I noticed that it shares very little similarities with the Citadel and other Prothean artifacts. _Liara shook her head.

"Well, this is certainly a revelation, but now I don't believe that the Protheans have shown us all of their history. There may have been different factions. We should look inside the structure for more evidence." The team agreed and started their journey inside the structure.

* * *

The Artifact

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Inside the Structure

The team tread carefully throughout the structure. The gaurds moved first, trying to identify hiding points for enemy positions. This was usually a useless move as the structure appeared to be an endless maze. This gave the scientists more time to study their surroundings. They were amazed, as the architecture on the outside matched the architecture on the inside. The blue-circuits intertwined with each other, lighting the path. They soon came to a massive chasm. Everyone gasped when they say that the only way across the chasm was a bridge. A bridge made purely out of light. The scientists moved forward, intending to study it, but the Turian guards pushed them back.

Not wanting any civilian deaths, one of the guards threw his gun out to the middle of the bridge. Satisfied that the bridge was stable, the Turian walked out and grabbed his gun. Several of the scientists, including Liara, wanted to study the bridge and how it could hold weight when made of light, but the majority chose to go on ahead. Since they all wanted to stay as one group, the minority was forced to fallow them, much to their disappointment. They soon arrived at what seemed to be a terminal. Eager to get any data, one of the scientists tried to interface with his omni-tool. Soon, his face showed his frustration. Liara noticed.

"What is it? Is there a malfunction in the system?" If the system was damaged or corrupted, then who knows what information could have been lost. The answer she got though was more shocking.

"No, I interfaced perfectly. However, the system keeps rejecting me. I tried all available hacking attempts, but it keeps saying I don't have the authority." Liara was about to comment when one of the guards' voice broke through.

"I don't think we are alone." All eyes soon looked around the room. Then, seven beams of light flashed before their eyes. When they could finally see, they were shocked to find seven automatons facing them. All floated in the air and seemed to have similarities to the structure. They were pointing something at them. Most likely weapons. Panicking, all the guards raised their weapons to target the bots when Liara intervened.

"Don't shoot! I think our hacking attempts may have woken them." Liara couldn't believe it. Real Prothean technology, and it was operational! And they actually teleported int! There was so much they could learn. Before she could do anything else, another beam of light appeared. When it was gone, another automaton stood before them. However, this one was smaller and shaped like an orb. It had one glowing photoreceptor which was blue. To Liara's, and everyone else's, surprise the small orb then spoke. Not only did it speak, everyone could understand it.

"Who are you and why have you come here?"

* * *

******That's chapter two! Again, I will try to update as much as possible, but school comes first. Now, I would also like to talk about the codex. Since a lot of information needs to be explained, I will be moving the codex to a separate story. I felt that I was failing as a writer if half of the chapter was titled under codex. So that will soon be up. I will try to update the codex with each chapter (codex entries for Chapter 1 will appear on the codex in Chapter 1, etc). I will also be taking the time to update and correct a few mistakes in my earlier chapters. I reread it and saw multiple typos and other mistakes. Thanks again for all of your reviews!**


	6. Planning

**Note: Please check back on earlier chapters. I added and expanded on a couple things. I noticed that I was kind of concentrating on one area of the galaxy, when there should be multiple areas of interest. Enjoy.**

* * *

Shanxi Colony

September 29, 2,700 C.E.

Capitol City: Vutura

Militia Garrison HQ

Shanxi was a young colony by the standards of the UOA. Only recently did the colony have the necessary population to send a representative to the UOA Senate. It was seen as a great achievement by the locals. The capitol city, Vutura, was the largest city on Shanxi. The rest of the settlements were considered small towns. Vutura even had a completed space-elevator, allowing for more trade to flourish on the young world. It seemed like a paradise to many.

_Too bad it's not going to last._

General Xavier Williams sighed as he turned away from the window of his office. As a human general of the UNSC, he was prepared for most situations. When he had received word from Admiral Hackett about the new aliens and how "negotiations" went, Williams had to plan out the defense of Shanxi while organizing evacuation procedures. A Webway gate had been activated and was on standby for evacuation in case space defenses were breached. The militia would hide in the streets, ready to ambush the invaders. Outside of Vutura, the surface-to-space weapons were being prepared to strike at any targets.

_At least the plan is simple enough. Take cover and blow up any hostile son-of-a-bitch who looks at you funny. I think Major Johnson would be proud._

Williams was interrupted out of his thoughts when he heard the door open. One of his aides had returned from the countryside. Deciding that waiting would only waste time, Williams got straight to the point.

"Report, Major Fuler." Fuler was a human who was from the Republic world of Anaxes. He wore the UNSC uniform of rank, but a special badge was adorned on the right side of his uniform, the Star of Anaxes. It signified that he was a graduate of the Republic Officer Academy.

"Sir, the defenses around the city have been prepared. Our surface-to-space weapons are aligned and ready to fire on the enemy. Anti-air defense cannons have been placed around the city, but there are still some areas left clear of defenses. The population is currently being moved to positions closer to the Webway gate. As you requested, the rocket squads are being held back near the base in case of armor attacks. Also, Admiral Hackett said that he will be here in just a few minutes." Williams nodded.

"Thank you, major. Also, did you make sure that the militia gave out weapons to some of the population?" Williams wanted some of the civilians to carry arms in case they came under attack. One can never be too sure about a new enemy. The protection of civilians was the top priority of any UOA commander.

"More than one hundred civilians have been given our surplus firearms, though I suspect many more have blaster pistols with them." It was common for most civilians to at least have a blaster pistol at all times. It was a dangerous galaxy and a little protection never helps.

"That will be all and… Well, I guess I won't have to wait." The door had just opened and Admiral Hackett walked in. Fuler saluted the admiral before making his way out the door. Williams and Hackett approached each other and shook hands.

"It's a pleasure to have here, admiral sir." Hackett returned the compliment.

"I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice." Williams made a small chuckle.

"A new race and potential threat is all the reason I need to clear my schedule. And before you ask, all defenses have been prepared and the civilian are ready to leave in the Webway in case of full scale invasion." Hackett looked relieved.

"Good, I thought I would have to come down here myself and plan this out." Williams gave a sheepish smile.

"I'm not one of those newbie generals who thinks he can come out of this with no casualties. I leave that to the enemy." Hackett was satisfied with the assessment. His communicator then went off.

"Well, it looks like HighCom wants to see me. Would it be too cliché to say, _Beam me up, Scottie_?" Williams could only offer a chuckle.

"Only if you're talking to people who get the reference. Anyone else will just think you're strange." Hackett then started to walk out of the room, but stopped and turned back toward Williams.

"Oh, and congratulations to your granddaughter graduating from basic training." Williams gave a genuine smile.

"Ashley grew up so fast. Soon it's going to be the rest of them. Makes me feel old." Hackett could only laugh.

"With current lifespans in the thousands, you should only feel old when your grandchildren's grandchildren have children." Williams could only agree. Hackett headed for the building's teleporter.

Teleporting technology had advanced ever since the UOA had reverse-engineered the Forerunner Teleportation devices. A person could be sent to another location instantly, anywhere in the UOA. However, only the military had access to them as their inner-workings were kept a high priority secret. As Hackett tuned the settings on the teleporter for High Charity, he couldn't help but smile at his earlier joke.

_Heh, beam me up, Scottie my ass…_

* * *

Citadel space

September 29, 2700 C.E.

Artifact

Inside Structure

"Who are you and why have you come here?" The science team had been more than surprised when this orb had not only asked the question, but also spoke their language. Fearing that pausing would only increase hostilities, Liara stepped forward.

"My name is Liara T'Soni. We have come on behalf of the Citadel Council to inspect this artifact and learn from it so that we may better understand the Protheans. We also hope to get insight into their technologies to better the galaxy." The orb seemed satisfied with the answer, but seemed agitated when Liara mentioned the Protheans.

"Well, you have certainly stumbled on to a creation of MY creators, but my creators were certainly not Prothean. After all, I don't even think the Protheans had it in them to create anything. More barbaric if you ask me." Liara was shocked. This construct was not built by the Protheans? And did this, this thing, just call the Protheans barbarians? This was a new revelation for many of the scientists and guards, but proved insulting to the Hanar.

"And who are you to question the glory of the Enkindlers?" The orb apparently didn't notice the tone behind the question, or chose rather to ignore it, as it happily introduced itself.

"I am 117649 Reclaiming Voice, the Monitor of this installation. Protocol dictated that intervention was necessary when you tried to access these data files. Not that you would have succeeded anyway." Some of the science team was getting annoyed at that fact. However, Mordin looked fascinated.

"Amazing, a VI construct, almost seems lifelike. The makers of this artifact were clearly advanced." The Voice sounded insulted though.

"Me, one of those obsolete constructs? No, I am a fully sentient artificial intelligence, designed to…" He got no further as all the guards raised their weapons at it. Turning toward Liara, he gave what could be described as a questioning look.

"I'm sorry, but AIs are forbidden in Citadel space. A machine would have no use for organics and would perceive them as inefficient." It was then one of the guards came to a conclusion.

"Maybe that's why none of your creators are around? You wiped them out!" Again, Voice sounded insulted.

"I will have you know that I served my creators in every possible way before their demise and I continue to serve them on this installation. But I wouldn't expect primitives to understand this." Now it was the science team's turn to be insulted. One scientist openly shouted his discern.

"We are not primitives! We discovered the mass relays! We use the Citadel! What do you have to say about that!?" There were murmurs of agreement among the science team. Voice, though, didn't lose any momentum.

"Ah, the mass relays. Such an inefficient way to travel. Much too slow for a proper empire to form. Slipspace is much more efficient and it is almost instant." This blew everyone's mind. Instant travel could mean huge gains for Citadel space. And with no reliance on the relays, they may be able to colonize systems never seen before. Maybe even find more of these installations. Liara wanted to know everything.

"Please, tell us about your creators. I, we, would love to know the history of your people." Voice sounded pleased.

"Certainly, oh, this is so exciting. It has been thousands of years since I have talked to any sentient life forms." This is when one scientist wanted to know how long.

"Exactly how long have your creators left you here?" Voice could only give estimates.

"This installation has been empty of sentient life for approximately 100,000 years." Liara started calculating. _50,000 years even before the Protheans! No wonder this AI sees the Protheans as barbarians. But what happened to them?_ Voice continued from where he left off.

"My creators were called the Forerunners. They were able to create many large constructs, such as the ring you are standing on and the bridge you walked across. However, the Forerunners fell due to an enemy at the genetic level, a parasite known as the Flood. When that happened, this ring and six others were commissioned as last-resort weapons. When my creators exhausted all other options, this ring was ordered to fire." The scientists were bewildered at the information, though certain questions remained.

"What is this Flood?" Voice went to lower tone when questioned.

"The Flood is a parasite that seeks to consume all life in the galaxy. It consumes individuals of sufficient biomass to grow and transform the individual into a Flood host. If sufficient biomass is attained, then it forms a Gravemind, a Flood intelligence capable of controlling the Flood directly, regardless of distance. It was a Gravemind that controlled the Flood that caused my creators' empire to collapse." This stunned everyone. A parasite that wanted to wipe out all life in the galaxy? Unheard of! Then Liara thought about what Voice said about the ring being a weapon.

"And this is when this ring was commissioned?" Voice sounded pleased at her conclusion.

"Yes, this installation was commissioned as a last resort weapon against the Flood. Its purpose was to wipe out all sentient life within 25,000 light-years. When combined with all the other Installations, all sentient life within three radii of the galactic center died. This was the fate of my creators. They wanted to starve the Flood." The science team now looked worried. This thing was a super weapon. What if the Batarians or the Terminus systems found it? Or even a new race? Liara tried to recover.

"This… this is certainly shocking for most of us. But to help better understand, we would love to look into your technology." Voice sounded… regretful? No, but it didn't seemed pleased about the subject.

"I'm sorry, but all records cannot be accessed by any of you. You do not match the proper bio-scan index. My creators made sure only one species could access their technologies. Only a Reclaimer can properly harness the technology in this data core." There were shouts of anger coming from the science team. Liara tried to remain calm.

"And just who are these Reclaimers? Are they peaceful?" Liara was silently hoping that it wasn't the Batarians or another Terminus race. Goddess help them if the Vorcha are the chosen race.

"The Reclaimers are a species known as 'human.'" Voice then looked at some of the Asari. "You have a similar biology, but you are not Reclaimer. As such, you may not access to the data inside and I must ask you to leave this installation. I still wait for the Reclaimers." One scientist tried to bypass this command.

"What if these humans are dead? Then who will inherit the data?" Voice gave an answer that surprised them.

"Impossible, humans are very resilient, even in the harshest of conditions. Besides, my creators seeded them on multiple planets, ensuring that even if one society should use mutually assured destruction, another would be there to reclaim this facility. Now if you please…" The science team started getting nervous when the larger automatons started moving towards them. Seeing that as their chance to leave with everyone intact, the science team left the way they came, the automatons escorting them all the way to their shuttles.

* * *

Coruscant

September 30, 2700 C.E.

High Charity: MIltary HQ

When Hackett finished teleporting in, he found himself in the middle of a conference room. In front of him were the top military brasses of the entire UOA military. Hackett could only identify several of the commanders, but felt confident that he could learn the names of those he didn't. Each represented a military arm of a faction inside the UOA. Only one seat sat empty in the middle. It was reserved for the Supreme Commander of the UOA, but was only used if the UOA was in a state of war. Each had different opinions, but Hackett felt confident that no one would argue against his actions. The first commander to start was the UNSC's own Lord Admiral Terrance Hood. A veteran of the Human-Covenant War, he still held his position throughout the reorganization of the UOA.

"We have read the reports you gave us. A hostile alien race attacked you without warning even before the first contact package was sent. We can confirm this with the crew of the _New Horizon_. However, we are concerned about the effects of their weapons. Athena told us that some very strange reports about these "element zero" weapons. We want to hear from you." Hackett sighed. Confirmation seemed to be a constant waste of time, but this was HIghCom talking. If they were going to give a convincing argument to the Senate, they would need to provide all the details.

"Sir, the enemy attacked us with unknown weapons. Their mass accelerators made large explosions, but did little damage to the shields. Their disruptor weapons seemed to sap the shields of strength, not only as a whole across the ship, but the impact area also seemed to weaken. If they had fired another mass accelerator round at it, it was debatable if it would punch through and impact the hull." Most of HIghCom seemed satisfied. Now it was time to decide how to proceed. Rtas 'Vadumee, the Supreme Commander of the Sangheili Empire, wanted to respond with brute force.

"We should crush them now while they lick their wounds! We can then settle a peace treaty with this 'Citadel Council.'" The words seem to disgust him. Horus, the Warmaster of the Imperium of Man, agreed.

"Yes, we should show them our full might! We should assault them at their own Citadel, so that they may see our power, our divine right to rule the stars." However, there were also dissenters. One of them was the Jedi known as Revan. Revan was one of the only Force users to train as both a Jedi and Sith, making not only one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy, but also one of the most respected, since his views were so balanced. He always hid his face behind a mask. The mask was from a Mandalorian, giving his appearance a warrior look, but his words carried the wisdom of a shaman.

"I don't believe every species in this Citadel wants our destruction. I doubt that most even know of our existence." This was supported by his former apprentice, who was the representative of the Sith, Malak. Malak was very large for a human and carried great strength in his voice. Across his forehead were several light blue tattoos, derived during his days in the Sith. Around his jaw were scars, a result from a lightsaber accident, but medical technology managed to save him from a mechanical jaw.

"I concur. We should wait for a diplomatic emissary incase this was a misunderstanding. Their laws were broken, but it is interesting that they did not open any communications before firing. However, we should prepare defenses on Shanxi in case they decide to attack again. We should also have a fleet in reserve in case the invasion is bigger than we originally plan for." Most of HighCom agreed. Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Galactic Republic took the stand. Originally a Chiss of the Chiss Ascendency, he was a gift to the UOA when the UOA made contact with his species. The Chiss are not part of the UOA, but there was the likely chance of them joining.

"I believe my personal fleet can provide assistance if the UNSC fleet already there is not enough. However, do realize that most of the fleet is either in retrofit or guard duty so assets may not be as high." Hackett nodded.

"Based on combat experience with these aliens, we should be able to handle most of their fleet, but backup wouldn't hurt. It's only invasion that I'm worried about. If they land enough ships in the area, they could start hunting down civilians. We have not seen their ground tactics, so it's hard to tell if we still have the advantage." Before Hackett could continue, a female voice from behind interrupted him.

"But that is where intelligence comes in, but I guess it slipped your mind. After all, we couldn't possibly be in charge of assessing weaknesses, now could we?" The tone was sarcastic and familiar. Hackett turned around to greet, or rather confront, the newcomer.

"Ah, what a pleasure it is, Director Isard. I meant no offense." Ysanne Isard was the Director of Republic Intelligence, and was good at making cold calculations. A human from Coruscant, she possessed a unique symptom known as heterochromia iridium, possessing one red and one blue eye. She then proceeded to walk toward the assembled commanders.

"Please tell me that you didn't expect this to go by UOA Intelligence, more specifically, Republic Intelligence without notice." Her eyes held nothing but contempt for the assembled. If there was one thing that intelligence agencies didn't like, it was being kept out of the loop. Hood had an excellent answer though.

"With resources as great as yours, do we really need to tell you? You found out anyway making formalities pointless. Now, please, tell us why you're really here." Isard didn't look satisfied, but could only nod before getting on to the purpose of her visit.

"I suggest that we send Prowlers and other stealth scout craft to survey the surrounding space across the relay. Then we can determine if the enemy is a threat or not to our colonies. After that, we can look to find potential targets. And this time, I don't expect to be kept out of the loop." The assembled agreed with the plan, but watched as she exited the room. Hood sighed.

"At this rate, she's almost becoming as bad as Parangosky. But that aside, the plan is approved. Hackett, you have command over space forces on Shanxi. If at all possible, ensure that these aliens thing they are only dealing with human forces. Based on the information we got from the codex and their communications, they believe that we are a new race to space travel and wanted to subjugate us. We should maintain that cover until the Senate convenes. Then we can decide what to do about these other Citadel races." Hackett was then teleported back to Shanxi. The other commanders in the room then started to discuss other matters. A Zetan commander, named Olixef, from the Zetan Kingdom then spoke up.

"So now that the contact matter is settled, what of the reports of the new Insurrection activities? We cannot hold secure all of our holdings and grow if this goes on any longer." Hook took charge after this.

"The UNSC has dealt with these Insurrectionist groups before. We need to find their leaders and assassinate them. The rest should fall apart clawing at each other for leadership. I believe that ONI is in charge of tracking down the individual Insurrectionist cells. If true military action is required, we will handle it. For now, I believe a more subtle action is needed." The assembled agreed. Finished with the meeting, they all teleported back to their respective offices in their own governments.

* * *

Palaven

September 30, 2700 C.E.

Hierarchy Military HQ

Desolas had called an assembly of the Hierarchy after the "incident" at relay 314. He walked and took his seat among the other generals. All of them were waiting for the Primarch to arrive. Finally, after a few minutes, Primarch Quenius took his seat at the head of the table. He looked tired, but piles of paperwork did that to you. Not wanting to waste time, he immediately got to the point of the meeting.

"Alright, we are here to discuss the incident at relay 314. I trust that all of you have read the report given by Commander Aktriv. And I trust that all of you have your doubts." There were nods of agreement among the assembled. General Vyrnnus stood up.

"These reports tell of weapons that not even the Salarians could have come up with! The idea of single blasts annihilating cruisers? Smaller blasts punching through shields? These all sound like excuses." Several of the generals, including Desolas himself, nodded. Quenius then took charge.

"Regardless of whether the reports are accurate is now irrelevant. What we do know is that an entire patrol fleet was destroyed and that there is an unknown species across relay 314. Now, how should we proceed?" Several suggestions were put up but the most prominent seemed to be Desolas' idea.

"From what Commander, excuse me, forme-Commander Aktriv told me, they seem to be a new race to space travel. If they have any colonies, they would be small. I suggest the full deployment of our fleet and conquer this species' home world. Then we can make them a client race of the Turian Hierarchy. The Citadel Council would have to believe us. After all, who are they going to believe, us or them?" Most of the assembled agreed, though there were some dissenters. General Adrien Victus stood up. Quenius sighed.

"Yes, what is it Victus?" Victus was always seen as the odd-ball of the Turian Hierarchy. His strategies were very unorthodox, but the results showed that his strategies were more efficient in the long run. However, being unorthodox does not make you friends in the Hierarchy.

"Perhaps we should contact the Salarians. If we are facing an unknown enemy, wouldn't we better off seeing some data? If you could just let me contact STG, I could…" Desolas' answer rang with anger.

"NO! We don't need those spies to see what we're doing. If they found out, then the entire Salarian Union will know. And that means the Asari find out. If the Asari want to make friends with everyone, that's their decision. We Turians are different." This time, there was no resistance. Satisfied, Primarch Quenius started drawing up the plan.

"All right, we will have General Desolas lead the assault against this new species. From initial scans of the system, there is one habitable planet. That is most likely their home world. General, you are to be given command of 350 frigates, 270 cruisers, and 151 dreadnoughts. This new species will feel the wrath of the Turian Hierarchy. General Vyrnnus and General Corinthus will accompany you. You will all leave in a few hours. Dismissed." The assembled commanders all exited the room. Desolas was excited. This was by far the largest command he has ever been given.

_A personal touch wouldn't hurt, would it?_

* * *

In orbit of Palaven

September 30, 2700 C.E.

_The Might of Palaven_

Desolas paced across the floor of his quarters. Since most if not all Turians had been part of the military in some way, quarters tended to be very small, but comfortable. Consisting of a bed, a small desk and some grey walls, what's not to like?

_If only the bed was just a little more comfortable, then maybe I could get some slee…_

He was interrupted when the door, revealing a Turian. This Turian looked very similar to Desolas, with a silver exoskeleton. His onyx eyes showed a steeled personality that even few Turians had. But Desolas welcomed this Turian with open arms.

"Welcome, brother. I trust the trip here wasn't too long?" The Turian looked up at Desolas, his eyes softening.

"There is always room for improvement, but yes, the trip was bearable. Now, you wanted to discuss something?" Desolas grinned. Despite the fact that the Turians wanted to keep most of the details of relay 314 from the wider galaxy, Desolas chose to share some information with the person he trusted most.

"Saren, there has been a development in the relay 314 incident." Saren's eyes widened. While he had heard rumors, they sounded very outlandish. Now his brother was about to reveal the official report.

"It appears that we have encountered a new species. The Hierarchy wants to take control of this new species and make them a client race of the Hierarchy. We have set a full invasion force to secure their home world." Saren was now unsure. It was always policy to contact the Citadel Council when a new species was encountered. But if his brother was sharing this information with him and only him, then trust is required. Desolas continued.

"I think that this species needs to be introduced to the wider galaxy." Looking straight at Saren, Desolas smiled. "And what better ways to that then reveal what our best agents can do?"

Saren realized that Desolas wanted him to lead the attack. No wonder Desolas wanted to keep this hidden. The Council would have thrown a fit if they knew that Desolas contacted Saren. Saren weighed his options. The trust of a brother, or his duty to the Citadel? It only took him seconds to decide. He stepped forward and shook his brother's hand.

"I'll personally make sure this species fears the Turians and the Spectres." Desolas could only smile wider in response.

* * *

**And there is chapter 3. Again, I will be updating the codex as much as possible (UOA factions will be a pain). Codex has been released with a new organization. It will be constantly updated, but I am a lazy person, so it may take time for the codex to match the chapter. Thanks.**

**Also, some of you seem to be agitated, mostly about the Precursors. For your enjoyment, here is a small story I came up with.  
**

**Once upon a time, the Precursors decided to take over the galaxy. The Reapers were like "NO WAY!" The Precursors got mad and shot out a LAZER. Harbinger blew up. The the rest of the Reapers spontaneously combusted. Years later, 343 Guilty Spark sneezes, causing the second firing of the Halo rings. LOL Halo Rulz! The end!  
**

**P.S. There was a disturbance in the Force.  
**

**Satisfied?  
**


	7. Intelligence

**I apologize for the massive wait. College essays and exams have taken a toll on me and only recently have I been able to work on the story. I also apologize for those of you who had questions in chapter 5 but were never answered. I will try to address certain questions but I hope as the story goes on, those questions will be answered. I would also like to say that I have worked on the codex a bit, but I am still getting all the UOA factions together. I would also like to thank you for all of the favs and follows. I never imagined that I would get so many. Thank You! Now to answer questions.**

**Poliamida: I have thought about Deus Ex, but I am not as familiar with the lore as I am other series. Give me some time to read up on all of it and I will see what will work. I may use those upgrades for Cerberus.  
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**forget the rest: That was my sad attempt at creating a joke in regards to how many fans perceive the Precursors in regards to Halo vs Anything. It was intended as a joke, but I may not have been in the right mind when I created it. I was tired, came back from a party, and posted the chapter. Anything in the writer note before or after the chapter should not be considered part of the story. If you were put off, then I apologize.  
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**Inverness: Actually, I did do my research. The Turians had 37 in Mass Effect 1, which happens in the 22nd century. My timeline places first contact in 2700, more than 500 years later. I would assume the military of the Turians would have grown in 500 years. However, you do make a point about numbers. I may change them. I was probably lazy when I put the number of Turian dreadnoughts as around 500. It was just simplification on my part.  
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**edboy4926: Maybe. I have been debating how the diplomatic scene should play out. I still have thoughts, but that is not going to happen until later.  
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**XxAkuXxXTenshixX: Will I put a NOVA bomb on all factions save one and leave it at that? No. However, there will be calls for political consolidation, so later in the story, that will be a major issue. This should lower the amount of factions.  
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**HD-Spartan: I'm sorry for not answering your earlier question. When the codex is finished, it should include information but here are the basics. Space Marines are the elite troops for the Emperor. They number about 1000 per Primarch, but the recent Tyranid invasion has pushed them to the brink. They currently number around 5000 total, with random numbers per Primarch. The ability to create new Space Marines is hampered in the massive and time consuming rituals to ensure that they can never be corrupted by Chaos through possession. They are few, but elite. Spartans can be trained more easily by the UNSC, but are not walking tanks like Space Marines.  
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**Axcel: Clarification needs to be done. When I said that it was like the Dark Age of Technology, I meant before the fall. Currently, the Imperium (and the UOA) can drag stars and planets into new orbits and create new worlds (through the Ark). However, they lack the ability to create anything like the Ark currently and cannot create artificial stars either. The reference to the Dark Age was simply my simplification of saying before the Fall of the Eldar.  
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**Sevenar: I promise that the next chapter will introduce the Chief and Shepard, but right now, I'm simply doing some back story. It will support and introduce some of the main characters and some of the minor characters along with motives for different groups and interests (such as this chapter).**

**Ny'kle: Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?  
**

* * *

Citadel Space

September 30, 2700 C.E.

Asari Research Vessel _Blazing Trail_

The scientists had made it back to their ship, luckily unharmed. But this only raised new questions. Who were these Forerunners? Why had the Council never heard of them? And what kind of civilization would be mad enough to build artificial intelligences and give them weapons? And just who were these humans?

Liara was lost in thought over these new revelations. She, along with many of the other scientists, were disappointed when they were essentially exiled off of the ring. Finally, Liara decided to address the crew of the ship.

All of the personal aboard the _Blazing Trail_ had gathered in the large conference room to hear of the new findings. The crew had no idea what had happened down there, but they assumed that there were no hostiles down there. They did note how the guards seemed spooked though.

"This has been a momentous discovery. We have uncovered an artifact that claims to date even farther than the Protheans." This shocked the crew. Finding any Prothean artifacts was always a huge find in the Citadel, but to find something even older…

"We have also witnessed a great amount of advanced technology. Surprisingly, most if not all of it seems to be intact." This made some of the crew double checking to make sure that they were not dreaming. To gain even a small amount of Prothean technology was rare. To find any in working condition rarer still. Though some of the crew started to get suspicious as to how the team had found this information out. The captain finally voiced her question.

"How do you know? Did you hack a computer terminal or are there still some of these 'Forerunners' living on the ring?" Liara was afraid that her answer would be met with criticism, but surely they would respect her honesty.

"On board the ring, there was a caretaker for the artifact. It called itself Reclaiming Voice. It said that it had cared for the installation for more than 100,000 years." Liara hesitated a moment before dropping the bombshell. "It claimed it was an artificial intelligence." The room literally exploded as the crew argued over the validity of the statement. When it had been identified as truth, the crew then wanted to argue whether or not they could trust it. Liara managed to get everyone to quiet down before continuing.

"We have not made any aggressions against it, and it seems to not want to do us harm either." Another crew member disagreed.

"How do we know whether or not it is planning something? It could be lying about the information."

"What use would it have to lie? If it wanted to stay isolated, then it could have very well attacked us." The captain then inquired.

"Is this why you have no artifacts to show?" Liara nodded.

"This AI said that only one species could activate the technology, a species known as humans." This got skeptical glances from most of the crew. After all, to their knowledge, there never was a species known as humans. One of the engineers expressed his skepticism.

"Did this… AI tell you where these humans were located?" Liara sighed.

"No, it did not give any locations and it seemed hesitant to share any information. It claims that it is waiting for these humans to reclaim all of the technology and the artifact itself." This got many in the room to grow concerned. One of the guards stepped forward.

"Giving advanced technology to a single species is dangerous. This could upset the balance of power across Citadel space. If a new species suddenly gains this technology, who's to say that they won't try and take over the galaxy? What could stop them?" There were murmurs of agreement across the room. Liara nodded.

"We are in agreement that a species with such great advantages could certainly change all of Council space. Perhaps it would be better to seek out this species before they find this artifact themselves. Then we can guide them to peaceful coexistence with the rest of galaxy. Once this has been done, they should be open to trade technologies for the betterment of the galaxy." Mordin seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

"Interesting solution. Seek out species before discovery. Find out strengths and weaknesses. Invite to Citadel for more proper invitations. Teach species the greater good they can provide for the galaxy. Avoids war and may provide a balance between the Citadel and the Terminus systems." Liara stared at Mordin warily.

"We have no desire to change who these species are. We just want them to reach their full potential as a species and as citizens of the galaxy. We do not want to be subject to a social experiment." A Turian guard then gave his own assessment.

"If this race proves to be hostile, perhaps they can be a new client race for the Turian Hierarchy." Liara just glared at him.

"That will be a last resort option. The last thing we want is to make these humans resentful of other species. The Volus chose to come under your 'protection.' We will do no such thing unless it is absolutely necessary. I will now be contacting the Council on our findings. If there are no further questions, I would like to inform them now." Nobody objected. Assuming that they were all in agreement, Liara started to move to the communications suite.

_Why must the galaxy fight amongst themselves? Perhaps these humans will change the galaxy for better. I can only hope that I am right._

Deciding nothing more could be said on the matter, Liara mentally prepared herself to speak to the Council as she pushed the button to activate the QEC array.

* * *

Citadel Space

September 30, 2700 C.E.

Citadel Council Chambers

To say that Tevos was nervous would be an understatement. Less than a week ago, the Council had received reports from an STG team about an object orbiting a system far from a mass relay. The news of a Prothean artifact of such a huge scale prompted them to send a research team to investigate. But the Asari councilor had her doubts.

In her long life of almost 900 years, she had seen the horrors of the galaxy. She witnessed how the galaxy had so much to offer, but not all of it was friendly. Space would always be mysterious, as no power could ever hope to dominate all of the stars. Even though Council space was vast, the amount of relays present had created only pockets of control. Who knows what else could lie beyond the reach of the relays. Perhaps entire civilizations had come and gone without anyone knowing they even existed. Tevos would have thought more on the subject, but was interrupted when her omni-tool beeped. It seems that the _Blazing Trail _wanted to report on their findings.

Beside Tevos stood her fellow council members. On her left was Sparatus, the Turian councilor. A veteran of the Turian military, Tevos considered him very disciplined. He was never one to panic even in the face of the direst threats. However, Tevos also knew that he was the pinnacle of all that was Turian. This also meant the more negative traits, such as a short temper and the ability to hold grudges.

On her right side was Valern, the Salarian councilor. The Salarian used to be part of STG before leaving for politics. It was always curious for most of the galaxy, as Salarians live very short lives. For a Salarian to have a career change, especially for a career so different, was always a surprise. Never the less, Tevos appreciated Valern's keen foresight into problems and his connections to STG. It helped the Council maintain their authority, especially among the different species. As it turns out, many governments liked to go about with their own projects.

Together, they made the Citadel Council, the seat of authority for all in Council space. Their mission was always to ensure that the galaxy benefited from all of the races working together. Every species had something to offer to the galaxy, but not always could they express themselves in the best possible way. It is the duty of the Council to guide all species to a more prosperous future.

Pressing the communications button on the control panel in front of her, Tevos and her fellow councilors looked over to their right side at the large holographic platform. Soon, a blue hologram of a young Asari flickered to life.

"Hello, Liara T'Soni. I trust that you made it safely to the artifact." In truth, Tevos was secretly relieved that Liara had not come online screaming about a new threat. The last thing the Council needed was another Rachni War.

"Good day councilors. Yes, we did find the artifact, but the artifact is not the most important piece in this expedition." This puzzled the Council. A discovery of such an artifact was surely major news. What could be bigger than that? Sparatus was intrigued.

"Please tell us more. Was the artifact simply dead in space?" Liara seemed to hesitate before giving her answer.

"The artifact was not dead. In fact, it had an inhabitant, a caretaker for the relic." The surprise was apparent on the councilors' faces. Could there actually be a living Prothean? Tevos could not contain her excitement any longer.

"Are you saying that here is an actual Prothean there? And alive?" Liara could only shake her head.

"No, there is no Prothean. When we went onto the ring, we found an amazing discovery: this ring was not built by the Protheans. It is actually far older than the Prothean Empire. It dates back almost 100,000 years." Now the Council was shocked. There was an empire even more ancient then the Protheans? And their technology had survived for so long? Who knows what the Council could learn. Valern was quickly calculating what this could mean to Council space.

"Could you send us the data on this artifact, and anything else you found?" Liara nodded.

"Transferring to your counsels now. You should be able to view all of the information and our findings." The Council was quick to look over some of the summaries. They grew concerned with every word they read. The size of the artifact was massive. The fact that it had a terrestrial surface indicated some advanced form of terraforming, or perhaps even the ability to tear the crust off of a planet's surface. Valern was especially intrigued when he read about the technology inside the ring. The idea of a bridge made completely out of light was mindboggling to say the least. The summary about teleportation made him almost choke. The technologies in the ring could revolutionize the entire Citadel. Sparatus, though, was a little suspicious.

"Where did you get this data?" Liara again hesitated before answering.

"All of these articles are based on our findings and experiences. We could not acquire any data from the artifact as its caretaker refused to let us touch any of the equipment." Sparatus pressed on.

"And who was this caretaker?" Liara sighed. The Council's reactions could either make or break her career.

"The caretaker is called Reclaiming Voice. It is an artificial intelligence." The Council's eyes, most notably Valern's, grew wide at this fact.

"What!? Are you insane trusting an AI?! Why did you not destroy it?!" Tevos and Sparatus stared at their Salarian friend. They have never seen yell before, not even when part of STG. Liara could only glare at Valern.

"You try destroying the damn thing when you have weapons pointed at you. I did not know what those weapons could do so I made my decision. I decided to get everyone off the ring in one piece." Valern still wasn't satisfied.

"Great, the AI is armed too. This invalidates all of your findings. We need to move quickly if we are to…" Valern would get no further as he was silenced by Tevos.

"Listen Valern, we do not know the whole situation. Let us continue our discussion, and then we can go and deal with the AI." Valern started to object, but Sparatus shook his head. Valern conceded and nodded toward Liara. Liara looked relieved that the issue had been solved in a short time.

"Thank you. Now, Reclaiming Voice has shared with us a couple of facts. The key among them is that it was not built by the Protheans. It was built by a race known as the Forerunners. These Forerunners ruled the galaxy almost 100,000 years ago. It seems that the Forerunners also relied upon a different form of galactic travel. It's called slipspace, but I am not entirely sure what it is. The AI claims that it was a FTL capable of almost instantaneous travel, regardless of distance." The Council was skeptical of this. All ships in Council space used the mass relays for travel. Even the Terminus systems use them. They have never seen any other type of travel. Valern was curious, but Sparatus and Tevos were wary of such a claim.

"That is a huge claim. Everyone knows that a mass relay is required for any long range galactic travel. To use anything else would take too long or it isn't feasible." Liara nodded.

"Yes, normally I would agree completely, but this is new technology we're talking about. We have no idea what other races could do. Speaking of races, the final piece of information has to do with one." The Council was surprised. They were not aware of any new species. Tevos was immediately interested.

"Please elaborate. Is there a species that we should be aware of?" Liara looked troubled.

"During our search of the artifact, Reclaiming Voice said that it would only release its technology to a single race. The race it mentioned was called humans." The Council was stunned. Sparatus lost his patience.

"No species could give its entire catch of technology to a single race. This AI is obviously trying to trick you into believing something. We need to find out its motives and exploit them." Liara shook her head.

"I don't believe that it's trying to trick us. If it wanted to destroy us, it could have easily attacked us and we would never know any better. I think that we need to actively search out this species and integrate them into the Citadel as fast as possible." The Council was confused. Tevos decided to intervene.

"Liara, you know that the Council will not interfere with a species until it has achieved space flight. The Council considers it every species right to develop their own path until they can affect intergalactic policy. What you are saying goes against everything the Council stands for." Liara bowed in apology.

"I apologize if my argument came off as an offense to the Council. However, I believe this should be a special case. These humans would not only gain the technology inside this artifact, but something even greater. Councilors, this artifact is a weapon!" Silence reigned over the entire room. After a moment, Sparatus found his voice.

"A weapon? Of what kind?" Liara could not hide the worry in her voice.

"This weapon will have a range of galactic proportions. It can wipe out all life within a radius of 250,000 light years." The Council thought this over. If these humans managed to get their hands on this weapon, it would change the balance of power forever. Tevos made her decision.

"Liara, in light of this new information, I vote that we go with your plan and begin to search for these humans. With luck, we can guide them toward peaceful coexistence with the rest of the galaxy while gaining the new technologies inside the artifact. These humans may offer the galaxy a new age of prosperity." Her fellow councilors seemed to agree.

"The Salarian Union will send out STG teams to find any of these humans. However, if they are far from a mass relay, it could be a while.

"The Turian Hierarchy will also warn its patrol fleets to be on the lookout for any civilizations, or signs of one." Tevos nodded before turning back to Liara.

"Liara, we thank you and your team for your thorough investigation. If you wish, you may continue to observe the artifact. It is your decision. I'm sure you would enjoy your time studying these Forerunners." Liara smiled happily.

"Thank you, councilor. Yes, I would like to stay. I believe we could learn much from these Forerunners. I don't believe the AI is hostile, but it may take some time to convince it to show any solid data. I will try to get back to you in due time." Tevos nodded.

"Goodbye, Liara."

"Goodbye, councilors." Liara's hologram continued to shimmer until there was nothing left. Tevos then turned toward her colleagues.

"So, do you believe all of her reports?" Tevos fully believed in the reports, as she had known Liara for some time. After all, being the daughter of Matriarch Benezia did not make you obscure. She was never one to lie about historical finds. Sparatus seemed to take the skeptic approach.

"The reports are detailed, but something doesn't seem to match up. If these Forerunners were around before the Protheans, how did their empire die? Some of this technology also seems impossible. We haven't even come close to some of these technologies, yet this machine, this AI, claims that it was common? I don't buy it." Valern agreed.

"We don't know the machine's motives. I see no reason to trust it, but still, if this technology actually exists, we must gain control of it somehow. It is too important to be left in the hands of a single species." Tevos marked their orders on the console. The orders were already sent across the galaxy.

"I believe that settles that matter, but now we must move onto the next order of business. The Hanar are holding their celebration of the Protheans and we need to ensure that proper security is placed around the Presidium. I suggest that we call Executer Palin in order to…"

* * *

Council Space

September 30, 2700 C.E.

Sur'Kesh, STG Headquarters

Deep underground, the Salarian Special Task Group has called a meeting, as new information has proved troubling for the already stretched intelligence group. Currently leading the meeting was Dalatrass Linron. As the Dalatrass, she was the head of state for all Salarians in the Salarian Union. Currently, she had on the traditional clothes of government, which consisted of a black robe and headdress. Her wary eyes were currently scanning over the data in front of her, looking for any sign of forgery.

"Are you sure that this is accurate?" The Salarian sitting across from her nodded.

"Yes, we have checked the data banks and ran the simulations. There can be no doubt. The Turians are up to something." Linron could only shake her head. Only a century before, the Salarians managed to get surveillance equipment into the Hierarchy HQ. The Salarians liked to know what everyone was up to, including their allies. The recent data feed contained little in substance, but indicated that the officers in the Hierarchy new something.

"Why mobilize a whole fleet? With the amount of firepower in this fleet, it's more like an invasion force." Linron was already thinking of potential targets, especially Salarian colonies. With this kind of fire power, the Turians could steamroll any patrol fleet. The advisor then remembered a small fact in his search.

"It could be in response to the missing patrol fleet around relay 314." Reports had come in that one of the patrol fleets for the mass relays had gone missing. No one knows what happened to it, not even the Salarian spies knew.

"That still doesn't explain the mobilization. Did we have any agents stationed in that fleet?" The Salarians had carefull made a network of contacts, especially in the Turian fleet. It helped the Salarians coordinate their efforts and gave them insight into fleet movements.

"Yes sir, but they're not responding to any call signs. They may either be compromised or dead." Silence hung around the room. Linron thought hard before coming to a decision.

"Get a team to travel through the relay, but stop short of the end relay. I feel we need to do some information hunting. I want Captain Kirrahe to lead a team to scout this system. I believe that we will get our answers on the other side of relay 314." The advisor started to protest.

"You can't be serious! Captain Kirrahe is one of our most valuable agents and you want to send him on a suicide mission?" Dalatrass Linron glared at her aide.

"Would you send anyone else to do this and succeed?" Again, silence. Finally, the aide conceded.

"No, I would not. You may send the Captian and his team. But I expect them to come back alive, not in a body bag. I need them for future assignments." Linron sighed. Even in STG, there were still political arguments.

"It will be done. I'll make the call." The aide nodded before sliding another data pad toward the Dalatrass.

"We also got a report from our contact on the research vessel _Blazing Trail_. You might want to take a look at some of these reports." Linron took the data pad and started reading. As her eyes scanned the report, they could only get wider and wider. When she was done, she already felt exhausted.

_The technology! The possibilities! This could set the precedent for a galactic power! Yet, the report mentioned that these humans were involved. Perhaps the Union should find them first…_

Turning back to her advisor, Linron started issuing orders for all of STG.

"Quickly, I want all available teams prepped on an expedition. I want to send a full team to this ring. They will not interfere with the research team, but acquire any data possible. Just because it has an AI doesn't mean that it has any right to horde that technology. Do not inform anyone in the Council. We want this to stay as a Union priority. Get to it!" She received a salute from everyone in the room.

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

UOA Space

September 30, 2700 C.E.

ONI Dreadnought _Infinity_

Unknown Location

The stars always looked inviting to the casual citizen, but only some knew the truth. The vast expanses of darkness contained just that, darkness. Mysteries that should stay hidden, never to see the light of day. There are horrors out there that could give anyone a nightmare.

The Office of Naval Intelligence was the UNSC's answer to these nightmares. ONI was Earth's shield against the powers that be. ONI was responsible for doing the dirty work that the UEG wasn't willing to do. ONI was not just fighting some shadow game for the sake of conflict. ONI is always fighting for humanity, no matter the cost.

_And the cost has been great._

Sighing, Director Leonard Church turned away from the window of the observation deck. The Director was a middle-aged man with a mouth surrounded by well-trimmed facial hair. His eyes were always hidden by a pair of sunglasses, even if the room itself was a dark and foreboding place. He paced around before looking at his two subordinates.

"You are certain that a Cerberus agent was trying to break into the data banks? I need confirmation if we are to go ahead with the plan." The subordinate in question was Colonel James Ackerson. While appearing very young to most of his superiors, he was a veteran of the Human-Covenant War and a damn good one too. He was responsible for the Spartan III project and was a loyal participant in some of the more extensive projects while ONI was under Parangosky. _Just the kind of man I like._

"The information has been confirmed. The agent was of Cerberus origin, but we can't get any other identification on him. Being born in the Tion Cluster doesn't get you a plausible list of contacts. We have no idea who hired him and where the Cerberus base might be." The Director shook his head. Cerberus was a human-supremacist group that was dedicated to making humanity not only the dominant species in the UOA, but making humanity the only species. While the Director admired their mission, their priorities were another matter. Led by a man only known as the Illusive Man, Cerberus had a wide range of financial backers, some of which he assumed were in his own government.

"The Illusive Man is getting more desperate if he thinks I wouldn't notice spies in my own organization. Keep the information on this raid on the low. We wouldn't want to give away any secrets to our 'allies.'" The other man seemed to protest.

"But sir, aren't you afraid that Cerberus could learn our secrets from raiding other faction's databases? It appears we are giving Cerberus a free pass to unlimited information." The man in question was Captain Andrew Del Rio, a post-war officer of ONI. While the captain may not have the best leadership, the Director recognized his excellent management skills and, more importantly, his ability to keep secrets. The Director smiled.

"Oh, I don't expect Cerberus to succeed against any UOA faction. Instead, the raids will cause the intelligence factions to recall resources to catch leaks in their securities. We will have less to worry about while they reorganize. Since we won't have to keep watching our backs, this gives us time to concentrate on insurrectionist activities, at least for a couple of months. Now what have you to report on those groups?" The captain nodded before bringing up a hologram of the information. While most was text detailing abilities, the center picture caught everyone's eye. It was the symbol of a black fist raised into the air.

"Right now, we have noticed that the insurrectionists have started to congregate around a single group. It is known as the Black Hand. We are not clear of their motives, but we do know that they are based around the Tiber system. We have noted that they are quite popular in the outer systems of the UOA and have even gained support from alien backers, though they are few. While little information can be made of their tactics, we do know that they see the UOA as the 'oppressors' and they are waiting for some sort of Messiah to lead them to glory. This is obviously a religious organization turned paramilitary. They are currently being led by a man identified as Anton Slavik, a known terrorist from the Eden Enclave." The Director nodded. He contemplated numerous options before deciding a message needed to be sent. _A much needed message._

"Have you identified one of their bases?" The captain smiled as he produced a datapad with more than five different bases.

"Take your pick, sir." The Director could only smile.

"I choose all of them. Contact our teams. I believe it is time we introduce Project Freelancer."

* * *

UOA Space

September 30, 2700 C.E.

Coruscant System

Under City Warehouse District

Revan stepped into the shadow of the warehouse. The new revelation of an alien civilization prompted him to make preparations. If this civilization proved hostile, he knew his duty to the Republic, and by extension the UOA, was to protect its citizens. Sometimes, this required a more subtle approach. This required someone he could trust.

Though the Jedi thought his choice in friends was always odd, Revan found it surprisingly easy to make a network of contacts among the strange denizens of the UOA. This one, though, just happened to be built for him, by him. Suddenly, the sound of metal steps could be heard to his left. Smiling, Revan turned toward his friend.

His "friend" was a tall, rust-colored droid that had two intimidating photoreceptors. It carried itself with an air of confidence and even a little-bit of superiority. In its hands was a very advanced blaster rifle, though Revan doubted that anyone could identify the maker. To most people, the droid was not only intimidating, but very deadly. To Revan, the droid was the perfect assassin, one of his greatest creations and one of his most trusted friends.

"I believe that you will be excited to know that I have a job for you. I require information on the new species that attacked Shanxi. I don't trust any intelligence agency to tell me anything and I doubt the military will divulge anything important. I think you will like what I have in mind." If the droid could smile, it would have been able to make even a general shiver.

"Query: Is there a meatbag you need killed, master? If there is, this is going to be fun."

* * *

**And that is the fourth chapter. Again, I promise that the next chapter will introduce the main characters and will also start the battle for Shanxi. Thanks for reading. Again, if some things are too short, I will try to edit and expand on them. I will also be going back to my earlier chapter and introduce the entire military council. I don't believe I gave a good description for any of the commanders, and it doesn't justify some of them. Thanks again for being patient.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Please Read! This story is being redone. I would like to thank Poliamida for the suggestion of Deus Ex. I will be incorporating Deus Ex themes into my story. This is not because I am currently doing an essay about Transhumanism, but is pretty convenient. This should break into a better conspiracy behind the scenes. I played Halo 4 and that also prompted me to do a rewrite. I admit, I had my doubts about Halo 4, but 343 put them to rest. Also, I cut down on the amount of factions in the story so that should clear some clutter up. Anyway, I will be doing a new story under the name _Collapsing Empires_, which should bring about a darker nature to the Orion arm of the galaxy. I will be trying to improve my writing, story telling, and details without having to get cluttered down in too much information. But, for those of you who were waiting for it, here is what I got done for chapter 5 of this story. It's not finished, but some elements will carry over.**

* * *

UOA Space

October 2, 2700 C.E.

Unknown Location

The sound of a waterfall just seemed to make the serene picture all the more relaxing. The entire canyon seemed to be surrounded by grey cliff sides and patches of pine trees. In the center of the canyon, hills dotted the landscape. There was even a beach on one side, leading to what seemed to be an endless sea. The only sign of any civilization was the two structures at either end of the canyon. They were cylindrical in shape, each with several ramps leading to the roof. To most people, it was picturesque and with "vacation spot" stamped all over it. Unfortunately, this was not the case for today.

The field that should have been green with grass was now scorched in numerous areas. Black spots of debris indicated an explosion of some sort. The small ponds in between the two bases had dried up from evaporation. The bases themselves had smoke pouring out of their sides. Both seemed to be in bad condition. Around the bases, wrecks of several tanks and vehicles lay in scrap heaps, never to be used again.

_Where is he?_ _He would never just sit there and wait. That's not his style._

The person is question jumped over to one of the wrecks. Slipping behind it, the figure took some time to adjust to their new cover.

The figure was clad in an almost entirely stark white armor. The armor left little in the ways of weaknesses or vulnerabilities. The helmet had a golden visor that left covered almost the entire front of the helmet. In the figures hands was a rifle that seemed to be imbued with circuitry. It glowed orange and gave an appearance of being alien. To most people in the galaxy, they would be surprised that the figure was actually a woman. To the UNSC, she was Spartan II-087, Petty Officer Second Class. And to her fellow soldiers and friends, her name was Kelly.

Currently she was crouched underneath the remains of a tank. Her mission had been simple: take a team and slay the enemy. Turns out it was easier said than done. The enemy had been ruthless, efficient. As she glanced across the bloodied battlefield, she could see the bodies of her comrades. Their lives had been lost when she decided to make a push for the enemy base while moving equipment to take out the enemy armor and air support. The attack had been successful, but at the cost of the entire distraction team, who had been ambushed with very little support. The costs have been great on both sides, but there can only be one winner. From what she had analyzed, it was just her and the leader of the enemy team.

_It's just me and you, now. Now come on out and face me. I know that you like the direct approach._

Suddenly, she tracked movement. Looking through the scope of her rifle, she saw what she had been waiting for. A lone green figure was seen running across the field, ducking under wrecks and crouching beneath the hills. Kelly moved forward. Deciding to get into a better position, she activated her cloaking armor enhancement. All Spartans were equipped with MJOLNIR armor, some of the most advanced pieces of cybernetic armor available, and each was capable of carrying up to two armor enhancements. Kelly had chosen the cloaking and the speed enhancements. Cloaking allowed her to sneak around enemies. The speed was to increase her already inhuman speed. As the fastest Spartan alive, she had a reputation to keep.

Kelly quickly made her way to one of the caves made into the cliff side. From what she could see, her target had not noticed her movements. The figure was still ducking behind wrecks and generally making its way toward her base. She chuckled as she brought out her rifle and targeted the figure. Through her scope she got a better look at the figure. The figure was wearing forest green armor, the same kind of MJOLNIR armor that all Spartans wore. The helmet was different, as the golden visor only allowed sight around the eyes of the figure. The rest of the head was covered in the same forest green armor. The figure held another advanced weapon, the same make as her own, though it had a shorter barrel. The figure seemed clueless as to where Kelly was.

_You're not getting away this time._

Kelly lined up the shot. Checking twice to make sure that she had a clear shot, she pulled the trigger. A beam of pure light shot out from the barrel. The orange colored beam struck the figure almost immediately. The figure seemed to be stunned as several sparks glistened over its armor. Shields were down. Kelly pulled the trigger a second time. The beam went straight through the victim's head. The figure collapsed in a heap. No movement came as silence returned to the battlefield.

Kelly mentally cheered to herself. She finally did it! She had killed _him_. The record had been broken. But then she started to become rational again.

_Wait, if I shot him in the head, shouldn't there be a pool of blood? A… Hologram!? Oh no, this is not good. Think Kelly! You just need to go back and try to find the origin of…_

Before she could continue her train of thought, a voice seemed interject right behind her. The voice was obviously male, but held with it a history of determination, self-sacrifice and above all, duty. If Kelly could have kicked herself, she would have. The voice spoke one word to her, as if to haunt her nightmares for the next few years.

"Boo." Before Kelly could even turn around with her knife, she was grabbed into the air by the mysterious figure. The figure grabbed his own knife before twisting Kelly around. Finally, after what seemed an eternity to Kelly, the figure went down and stabbed Kelly between her head and her shoulder blade. While Spartans were all used to pain, the feeling of getting stabbed in the neck was excruciating. It would not be an instant death.

The green giant letting her go, Kelly soon found herself on the ground in less than four seconds. Her wound immediately started to bleed as a pool of red formed around her body. As the blood flowed around her, Kelly was starting to lose consciousness. Before she could curse all of the beings she could think of, another voice interjected. It was that same voice that she loathed for years. Every Spartan has heard that voice, though each had a different experience. Before she lost total consciousness, she listened and dreaded what it had to say.

"Assassination! Round Over! Game Over! Winner: John's Demons."

UOA Space

October 2, 2700 C.E.

Reach

UNSC Headquarters: Training Simulator

Inside the dark simulator room, rows of simulator pods lined the walls and the inside of the room. Only two of the pods remained unopened. Suddenly, both pods cracked themselves open. Two figures exited the pods. The first was a young woman. She was a tall woman with short brown hair, cut into a military style. Normally, her eyes were a steeled onyx blue, but held with them a hidden compassion for her comrades. Currently, she looked exhausted, her face a mix of frustration and sadness. She only had to glance at the other pod to face her opponent.

The man who had exited the other pod was a massive giant, easily taller than most humans. He carried himself with a heavy burden, for his life was always in the service of duty. His brow hair looked slightly ragged. His eyes were a deep blue, betraying nothing of his character. His face remained neutral as he exited the pod. He was Spartan II-117, one of the finest soldiers to ever come out of the UNSC. To the few that knew him, his name was John. To all the soldiers that have ever seen, he was the Master Chief.

John walked over to the woman. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave a slight smirk.

"Looks like I win again, Kelly." Kelly only gave huff as she tried to look angry.

"I would have won had it not been for your hologram. You never told me you were switching out your armor enhancements." John could only give a shrug.

"I needed a change." Kelly could only give a sigh before she slid closer to John. While they may be rivals in the field, they truly cared for each other. To say that they were in love wouldn't be laughable, but marriage was out of the question.

Spartans, especially Spartan II's, recognized that civilian life was never for them. They were forever bound to the military. Some Spartans had attempted to retire before, but most ended up back in service. Those that didn't sadly committed suicide as they attempted to come to terms with themselves. It was these results that made their "mother", Catherine Halsey, regret all that she did.

A brilliant scientist, Halsey had unlocked more secrets than almost anyone alive. However, she was also involved in the more scrupulous projects that Parangosky had designed. The Spartan II project had been one. When designing the Spartan II's, ONI had kidnapped children instead of waiting for volunteers, among them John and Kelly. It has always been Halsey's greatest regret that she stole the future away from who she considered some of the bravest and brightest humans she had ever met. While seen as necessary when the Covenant arrived, she still could not settle her conscious. To see some of her "children" end up dead by their own hands only deepened her regrets.

The two walked into the break room, where they could see numerous soldiers conversing with each other. The military had recognized the value of training soldiers in real battlefield situations, so they frequently had proxy battles inside holographic simulators. They also wanted to form more cohesion with the different branches of the military, so battles usually had all branches working together. Often, Spartans could be seen leading squads of marines. The simulator had even allowed ODSTs, orbital drop shock troopers, to land in the battlefield in realistic fashion. The simulator was seen as one of the greatest investments the UNSC has ever made.

As the two Spartans made their way into the room, the other soldiers noticed them and started cheering and congratulating the pair for lasting so long. Several soldiers went over to Kelly to specifically apologize for her loss, but she brushed them off. John was known as having the best record out of all the Spartans, so it was no surprise that his "Demons" would remain triumphant. The battle had been very close, but Kelly suspected that John would win. As everyone had noticed, he was just plain lucky.

As the soldiers started to part, the two Spartans were greeted by some of their fellow Spartans. The first to approach them was Fred-104, a close friend who had a knack for close combat. His hair was pure black with several lines of silver tracing along its length. One of the most notable features was a scar that ran across his nose, a scar from the Human-Covenant War. Currently, he wore his blue tinted armor, though the helmet was lying next to him on a table. He always had two heavy combat knives hidden in his shoulder pads. Rumor has it Fred replaced his old ones with a pair that was made from cortosis, a material that could even block lightsaber attacks. Fred remarked that he never did trust Sith Security.

"Heh, just like you John to do an assassination as a finale. I seriously thought I had you in my sights back at your base, but damn those ODSTs for shooting me in the back." The Spartans all shared a laugh at that. Another Spartan approached the trio.

He was even taller than John, with short blond hair. In some areas, the blond made an abrupt turn to brown. Like most Spartans, his green eyes displayed kindness to his teammates and determination to his enemies. He was Sam-034, a personal childhood friend to Kelly and John. Since their recruitment into the Spartan program as children, they formed a bond that went beyond teammates; to them, they were the closest thing to a real family. His green armor was not so different from John's own, though there were a number of explosive charges scattered along the chest.

"You should know better than to underestimate the ODST. I like their style: they won't stop for shit! Your own ODSTs even tried to blow me up with a rocket. Little did they know, I had a speed augment in my armor. Wish I could have seen their faces when that rocket hit their own warthog. Still, that was a hell of a battle, even if Kelly got a cheap shot on me." Kelly only glared at him.

"My shot was perfect. After all, how could I miss such a big head?" Sam only laughed harder at this.

"Perhaps you would like to go a solo round? I still have an explosive, just for you." Before Kelly could respond, all the soldiers in the base were interrupted when an officer entered the room. From the looks of him, he was a newer officer. His clean shaven face displayed almost no experience save a small scar on his cheek that spanned the length of his face.

"Attention all soldiers! You are to head to your ground transports immediately. Command has indicated that you will receive your orders enroot to your destination. All teams are to report, no exceptions. Again, running off on unscheduled shore leave will result in drastic consequences and a court martial. We will depart in one hour. Dismissed!" The officer quickly hurried out of the room, no doubt going to collect his personal belongings before shipping out. The room was soon filled with many questions as groups of friends started walking to their lockers while discussing why they would be shipped out on such short notice. Nothing had appeared on the Holonet News, so it couldn't be a Tyranid invasion. The Spartans left their table, but were just as confused as the other soldiers. Fred pondered this while the other Spartans got their gear together.

"What do you think it could be? I don't like this hush-hush stuff. It seems more like ONIs work, or even Sith." Kelly didn't feel like discussing the subject. As far as she was concerned, their only duty was to just get the job done in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Sam had another idea.

"I don't know, but you know our duty. Besides, if it's one of those insurrectionist groups, we need to remind them why Spartans are the best damn soldiers in the UNSC. Brass probably wants us for the personal touch. Am I right, John?" John only gave a small nod. They continued to pack their belongings. It mattered not where they were being deployed or who they were going to be fighting. They were Spartans and they got the job done.

* * *

**Well, that's it for this story. Again, some elements will carry over, but most of the story and the background of the Orion arm is being redone. See you at my next story.**


	9. Final Message

Just wanted to tell everyone the first official chapter for _Collapsing Empires _is up.


End file.
